The nation didn’t get to see the Bend Blockbuster Super Bowl Sunday commercial as they watched the exciting Chiefs-Eagles game. But the store is getting plenty of publicity and praise for it after the fact.
The apocalyptic ad starring a cockroach named Steve debuted on Instagram at halftime of Super Bowl LVII. Since then, it’s racked up more than 120,000 views on Instagram and YouTube — not to mention how many news outlets have played it.
It’s gone from local press to national, with articles published by TMZ, Deadline, Yahoo Finance and Red State.
RELATED: WATCH: Bend Blockbuster debuts apocalyptic ‘Til The Bitter End’ Super Bowl ad
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The ad shows Steve running across an apocalyptic wasteland. Eventually, you see him end up in front of the Blockbuster store.
A narrator says “When the world ends … and the internet streams no more … we’ll still be here” as the Steve crawls inside.
“Hi, Steve,” someone says as our friend crawls across the blue and yellow Blockbuster doormat.
The commercial was titled “Until The Bitter End.”
“This May Be the Funniest and Best Ad That Ran During the Super Bowl,” was the headline for the Red State article. It noted how the store teased fans for several weeks leading up to the debut.
Blockbuster General Manager Sandi Harding told TMZ that the store saw online merchandise sales boom after the ad streamed. Pretty good while also avoiding spending $7 million on a :30 spot during this year’s game broadcast.
To keep the nostalgia aspect, the commercial is on VHS. You can rent it for $2 per night.
