Blockbuster Video's making people be kind and rewind once again -- the company ran a new ad on Super Bowl Sunday that resulted in a massive spike in sales, and it didn't cost 'em an arm and a leg.
Sandi Harding, General Manager of the last remaining Blockbuster in Bend, OR, tells TMZ ... on Monday morning they saw twice the number of online merch orders than all of last week combined -- which she directly credits to their Sunday night ad.
While "Blockbuster" may be a recognizable brand, the video store operates just like a mom-and-pop, and the majority of their sales are driven from merch -- stuff like trucker hats and sweatpants.
The surge in sales is huge for the biz ... we're told it's a slow time of year for the store, as summer's when they rely on tourists to check out their store and buy merch. Customers can still rent DVDs like old times -- but they're obviously not selling like the good ol' days.
For those who missed it, the retro ad kept things funny while promoting the store -- joking the last Blockbuster will survive even an apocalypse.
The average cost for a 30-second spot on the Super Bowl broadcast on Fox was about $7 million this year -- so, wisely, Blockbuster opted instead to drop its ad on social media during halftime. Sandi says they had a slim production budget and got help from an NYC ad agency that donated time and resources to make it happen.
She tells us the ad was made to show how a small business like hers can make something fun and boost sales during the Super Bowl, just like big corporations ... and without the big price tag.