Rentals soar at Blockbuster and other video stores

Perhaps overwhelmed by the disaster coverage that emanated nonstop from nearly every channel, many people headed for video rental stores. Published reports today noted that Blockbuster began seeing an increase in traffic beginning on Tuesday afternoon, the day of the attack, and continuing through the weekend. The Wall Street Journal said that the increase was especially pronounced in the New York area. Several papers reported a big demand for The Man Who Saw Tomorrow, a documentary about the predictions of the 16th century clairvoyant Nostradamus, narrated by Orson Welles. (Several Internet message boards had circulated word that Nostradamus had predicted the attacks; such interpretations of his writings appear following virtually every calamity — but never before them.) Ironically, since film studios were reportedly altering plans to release terrorist-themed thrillers, many of the most sought-after films were ones with terrorist plots, according to the Los Angeles Times. One Blockbuster manager told the newspaper that renters were seeking “anything where terrorists got the stuffing kicked out of them.”