Blockbuster drops prices in U.K.

Don't count out Blockbuster's brick-and-mortar stores just yet -- at least not in the U.K. The rental chain has announced a new initiative in its high street stores that will lower the rental price of many recent pics to 99p. ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1,'' ''Tron: Legacy'' and ''Meet the Fockers'' are among the titles the store will be renting for less; Blockbuster is also lowering the price of its video game rentals to 5 pounds for five nights. The price change also encompasses Blu-Ray. The store is trying to make renting physical copies of films, games and TV show more tech-friendly with a smartphone app that helps customers to reserve movies. The company also didn't miss the opportunity to take a shot at rival Netflix. ''(A)t a time when rivals are dealing with plunging share prices or over-extending themselves to deliver, it gives me and the rest of the Blockbuster team a huge sense of pride that we are in a position to be able to make this radical change,'' said commercial director Gerry Butler in a release. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com