Globox Rentals Brings International Films to Northern Virginia

By Sharon McLoone

A new kiosk at a Columbia Pike grocery store opens the door for residents to explore international films.

Globox Rentals is hoping to take Northern Virginia by storm by bringing it the world on DVDs and via streaming video.

The Alexandria-based startup is a DVD rental vendor offering foreign films through an automated kiosk like Redbox and a streaming platform, like Netflix.

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

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