Is 'Globox' the New 'Redbox' in Northern Virginia?

The Alexandria-based startup is a DVD rental vendor offering foreign films through an automated kiosk and a streaming platform, much like Redbox and Netflix, but with one difference - it will feature movies from all over the world.

Globox Rentals, based on S. Whiting Street, will feature films from more than 100 different countries, distributing new and popular content from Southeast Asian, Latin American and East Asian cinemas.

Its first kiosks have sprouted up at Americana Grocery locations in Fairfax, Falls Church and Woodbridge; on the George Mason University campus in Fairfax; at Bestway Supermarket on Richmond Highway in Mount Vernon; at FoodStar Supermarket in Arlington; and at Todos Supermarket in Woodbridge.

The startup’s founders, Sammy Kassim and Asad Ali, have raised more than $400,000 from local angel investors with plans to raise more, according to the Washington Business Journal.

Ali told the Journal that the idea was sparked from his Dish Network bill. He was seeking a more cost-effective way for his parents to watch their beloved Bollywood films rather than paying more than $80 a month for foreign language content. 

Part of the strategy for the first kiosks’ locations was to find communities that don’t have good high-speed Internet access, making DVDs and Blu-ray discs attractive.

The company plans to have 100 kiosks in the Northern Virginia area within the next 18 months.  

TELL US - What do you think of Globox? A needed service? Will it catch on as much as Redbox and Netflix have? Tell us your opinion in the comments below.

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