Hack Blockbuster DVD Locks With A Corkscrew
As an avid movie watcher, I have had my share of instances where Blockbuster forgot to unlock a DVD case for me. Now, I don’t know about you, but the only thing more frustrating than taking out a bad movie, is taking out a bad movie that you can’t even watch – because it’s case is locked. After the last time this happened, I figured out a way to open it with a corkscrew (desperation breeds ingenuity).
I have not tried this with any other DVD case locks (there are a few kinds), but the basic idea of the locks is a long plastic strip that binds the opening of the DVD. 
Usually Blockbuster employees remember to unlock it using an opener, but a corkscrew can do the job (although it will ruin the lock).
First, turn the DVD case so that the bottom faces up. Next, twist the plastic several times until the top part falls off, exposing the inner plastic strip (it should be hollow).
Now, take the corkscrew (a cheap, simple one will do) and pretend you are uncorking a wine bottle by twisting the corkscrew until you reach under one of the side holes in the strip.
Then make sure the sharp part of the corkscrew goes through the hole, and yank out the strip. It will likely take 2 to 3 times trying to get the strip to come right out.
Voila, you are ready to watch the movie, just grab some popcorn!
For more reading on other types of DVD locks, see Engadget’s post about hacking DVD locks.
Have you had similar issues with DVD rentals in the past? If so, how did you solve them?
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March 12th, 2008 at 8:06 am
You do realize that is technically illegal, right?
Kat,
I don’t see how. You pay for the rental, you have a right to watch it. If Blockbuster did their job right each time, this wouldn’t be an issue. Not to mention those locks cost just a few cents a piece.
March 16th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
The lock costs the store about 38 cents, our store is charged almost $200 for a box of 500.
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Needle-nose pliers work even better because you have to use quite a bit of force. (Try ripping off the large tab; you’ll need to use about 3-5x the force to remove the main part of the lock.)
You should also be able to open it with some experimentation and a couple of strong magnets.
@ blockguy: I stand corrected, thank you for letting me know the amount. I still would rather be charged 38 cents than miss out on seeing the movie I just drove 15-20 minutes to get
.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
No corkscrew needed. All you need is a key. Any key – car key, house key…
Stop making things difficult.
April 5th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
A razor blade is much more efficient, run the razor along the spine of the case and retrieve the dvd… Sure it ruins the case, but do you know how many perfectly good cases they throw away? Hundreds of thousands a day!
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:31 am
dude, thank you so much for this brilliant little “hack”.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Terry’s hack works beautifully…simply break off the lip at the bottom of the case to expose the hollow core. Insert a key (I used my car key) and press the key firmly to one side of the case. While pressing, pull the key out and the lock should slide out enough to grab with your fingers. Pull and…presto!!!
November 11th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Brilliant, thanks mate. I used the key as well, but you saved me about thirty minutes of my life. Time to go watch Casino Royal with my girlfriend =]
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:06 am
Amazing. the corkscrew worked great. I had it open in less than a minute, and the case is still intact. Just the yellow piece of plastic is torn to shreds. Great Job!
December 27th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Worked like a champ. I sat in line listening to how slow the shift is going (in an almost empty store) With three people in line an no rush, I think they could remember a simple task…
The case still looks like it will work with another lock. What are they gonna give you if you bring it back anyway……
Glad it worked for you, Mike. Since the locks are likely super cheap, they probably value your customer loyalty much more than that piece of plastic!
January 4th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
the corkscrew thank god i drink wine! Thanks a million damn idiot employees.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:30 am
It’s because of people like you posting this shit that I find shit broken into at my store, then after it happens a lot I don’t get my raise. Get in your car drive there and tell them to unlock it. If this ever happens at my store I give the customer 2 free rentals. If it happens tell the manager you want something, if they don’t do anything call the number on your receipt and your chances of getting something free is pretty high.
I’m pretty sure you made a couple of mistakes at work as well.
Anthony,
You really want people who had plans to drive all the way back to the store, wait in line to get this fixed, and then drive all the way back home again?
For many people, that process would take over an hour in total, and given the fact that there is no sign in Blockbuster telling you what to do in this case, and your “reward” of a free rental, there is absolutely no incentive to spend that hour.
We all make mistakes, but the key is to be sensitive to the people who get harmed by the mistake – not the people who made the mistake.
January 17th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
thanks, worked great. Much appreciated.
January 18th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Thank you so much! It was easy, and minimal damage was done to thge case. Without this, I wouldn’t have been able to watch Resident Evil: Degeneration!But alas, zombie carnage did ensue. Thanks again.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Hee hee, Corkscrews rock! Only on the internet can you find out how to hack your case when a blockbuster idiot forgets to take the guard off….. thanks for the info… lol
January 24th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Awesome. It worked immediately!!!! No damage!!!(other than the lock. I love the internet.
January 25th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Worked like a charm with the corkscrew!
Thanks!
February 7th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
the car key works perfectly!!!
February 17th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Kat Waterflame, you’re right on the money! This is the WORST thing I’ve ever heard of. The blackest of SINS really!
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Awesome! Thanks for sharing this. I was so disappointed when I saw the locks. If they did their job, I wouldn’t have to destroy the locks. What’s illegal about watching the DVDs I already paid for. 38 cents is better than wasting $2 on gas. It’s not my fault and quite honestly, why would anyone give their customers a hard time? It’s a waste of time and 38 cents (most likely more) driving there to get the DVDs, come home only to realize they’re locked, drive back, finally watch the movies, and go back to return them. 38 cents should be their loss, not mine.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
The key worked brilliantly with me
haha but the idoit was a tesco employee
July 15th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Funny story. I’m a Blockbuster employee and my boss forgot to take the locks out of my DVDs before I left tonight. Could I have waited until tomorrow… sure. But what fun would that be?
I used a variation on your trick and used a screwdriver to drive a screw in to the locking mechanism. THen, I used a pair of pliers to wrench it out. Really easy and the cases are no worse for the wear. The screw was driven almost a full inch into the mechanism. I went slightly shallower and just stripped then plastic.
Also, this would not work in a store. It’s fairly labor intensive, and a diligent Blockbuster employee would notice. If your store is getting ripped off this way, you are a moron and so is everyone else in your store. Pay attention to what’s going on and your shrink will vanish.
All that said, if it’s during hours of operation, go back to the store and complain. I can’t guarantee that it’s going to get you anything (and calling the Customer Satisfaction # DEFINITELY doesn’t. It is a joke), but at least that way the store can take some kind of corrective action. Again, not guaranteed, but knowing is half the battle. Also, this whole thread is really old.
Jay,
Thank you for sharing your insight – it’s always interesting to hear about things like this from the “inside”
.
August 9th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Thanks a lot man, it really worked. Swiss army knife ftw.
September 21st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I’ve waited at least a year to see the movie “Sugar” and Blockbuster finally got it in earlier this week.
Well I get home today with my pride and joy in tow only to find the damn lock still in.
Used the key method and a pair of pliers and it worked perfectly. Case isn’t that damaged.
Thanks!
February 5th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Thank you! This was so helpful tonight. I didn’t want to go back to the video store because it is freezing outside!
February 7th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
ohmygosshh.
haha
thankyouu soooooo muchhh..
April 15th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
You can unlock the case with two magnets placed along the edges at slightly offset (about an inch) distances. This way, you can watch the movie, preserve the lock, and then bring it back to Blockbuster with the lock re-attached and demand compensation for the mistake.
Win-win.
To my knowledge, it does not break any laws.
April 19th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Thank you so much for this tip! I fully agree – if the BB guys had done their job we wouldn’t be in this position. Just got a dvd for the holidays (in my country the rental place is closed) which was locked so i couldn’t even drive the 15 min back to the store to get it opened. I was so pissed, I was ready to tear apart the box, but my husband, who’s a stand up guy, wouldn’t let me. Instead we looked up the problem and found your tip. Saved our holiday (and our marriage
)
July 6th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Why wouldn’t you check if the person took the lock off at the register or before you leave the store? That’s what i’ve always done.
September 12th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Tried the “blockbuster guy” technique. Took a wood screw and screwed it in about half way, and then pulled it out with needle nose pliers. Took about 3 min. Very nice. Thanks!
October 31st, 2010 at 10:14 am
All you need is a flathead screwdriver. Put it in the box about an inch from the bottom of the lock on the side you open the box from and apply pressure. Ease the lock out about an 1/8th to a 1/4 of an inch, then remove the screw driver and the lock will fall out.
July 10th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Thank you!!