DVD technology might have been surpassed by streaming, but that hasn't stopped Peter Tonks and business partner, Keryn Maguire, from buying a DVD store in Christchurch.
The pair are now the proud owners of Alice Cinema and Film Specialists in the central city.
Peter told Jesse Mulligan that they still see a future in DVD especially as they are now one of only two still operating in the country.
“A lot of video stores are dropping off, and we are getting customers from around the country, we have an online service now which is helping a bit,” he says.
Alice has two advantages over the streamers, he says.
He says the company also has a ‘top 300 films of all time' section.
“We're pretty proud the top 300 films of all time, so we're hoping that the fact that we've got a great selection here keeps people coming.”
You don’t have to be a Christchurch resident to use the store, as it runs a subscription service which he says they are pricing at about the same as a Netflix subscription.
Peter says Netflix has far fewer films to choose from.
“I don't know the exact number, I've heard between 4,000 and 6,000 titles on Netflix anyway, we've got close to 30,000.”
And if you’re after a classic or a more obscure film – the streaming services tend to be oriented around the latest releases, he says.
“If you're looking for something different, I think we've got the best selection in the country.”
Peter told Jesse he thought there was at least ten years of DVD business left as people sought them out to play on their home systems.
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