This recent proposal — an attempt to increase subscriptions, as growth has otherwise slowed – could amount to the digital-age, streaming-era equivalent of Blockbuster’s long-loathed late fees: a transparent cash grab for something that everyone has done, and that ultimately amounts to a tiny financial hit for a comically well-funded media company. To be sure, Blockbuster’s villainy was rooted in different issues: how it used its deep pockets to put mom-and-pop video shops and smaller chains out of business; how it focused, with a Netflix-like single-mindedness, on new releases over catalog titles; how its “no NC-17” model forced edgy filmmakers like David Cronenberg, Darren Aronofsky and Abel Ferrara to create bastardized R-rated versions of their movies; how it used hefty rental prices and peculiar, frequently shifting due dates and times to squeeze its customers. It was primed for toppling; Netflix came along at the right time, with the right alternative.

If Netflix has entered its Blockbuster era, it’s hard to guess precisely what its spoiler will look like. It may be an unpredictable business model or an as-yet-unimaginable technology. Or it may just be that other services are now doing what Netflix initially did, but better. Amazon Prime and HBO Max have far better film catalogs, Criterion Channel tops Netflix easily in classics, Hulu has Netflix beat by a mile on TV shows, Disney+ is the pick for kids and Shudder is the place to go for original genre films and series. Once upon a time, Netflix seemed like a one-stop shop; nowadays, it’s just one of the many streaming services one has to put together for a complete package of viewing options.