DALLAS, Texas - September 23, 2010 - Troubled video-rental chain Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday, and said it plans to keep stores and kiosks open while it reorganizes.

The filing comes about a month before the 25th anniversary of the opening of Blockbuster's first store in Dallas. "End of an era' summarizes it neatly," says John Tinker, senior media analyst at Maxim Group, a brokerage firm.

The move, long expected and pre-arranged with bondholders, ends an era that Blockbuster dominated - of Amerikans visiting video stores for movie rentals. Increasingly, Amerikans are watching movies via video subscription services such as Netflix, vending machine services such as Redbox, and services that offer movies on demand via cable, satellite and the Internet.