Movie studios test same day theatrical & VOD releases

[Justin_Massoud]

Movie studios test same day theatrical & VOD releases.

[newsimage]http://static.rankone.nl/images_posts/2011/02/8kv3vj.jpg[/newsimage]The decades-old trend of movies languishing for months after their theatrical run before seeing release for home consumption is still going strong. Even in this day of streaming digital content, convenient DVD rental kiosks and yes, rampant piracy, film studios are hesitant to throw support behind a newfangled concept - like a senior citizen given a cell phone for the first time. One new film, however, is seeing a same-day release in both theaters and on-demand video. How long until the floodgates open and every new movie is subject to the same convenient treatment?


Read the full article here: [http://www.myce.com/news/movie-studios-slowly-get-with-the-times-allow-same-day-vodtheatrical-release-40170/](http://www.myce.com/news/movie-studios-slowly-get-with-the-times-allow-same-day-vodtheatrical-release-40170/)


Please note that the reactions from the complete site will be synched below.

[Sean]

I’d say the main issue they have besides potential piracy is controlling the price per person watching the film.

The big advantage with the cinema is that they are in control over what each person has to pay to watch the film. So if a person decides to take its friends out to the cinema, a certain price must be paid for each individual. Even if the cinema operates a special family offer, it still is limited, such as to two parents and so many children and obviously more expensive than paying for a single ticket.

With a home cinema set up using VoD, the price for the screening is the same whether one person watches the film or whether that person invites every friend in town over to watch. So while $30 may seem like an insane price for home-viewing for a single individual who decides to watch it, it would be a bargain for someone who invites all its friends/family over instead of taking them to the cinema. Of course you don’t have to put up with over priced pop-corn and soft drinks either or worry about noisy guests.

So while the movie industry can put all the DRM crap it wants between its servers and the end user’s TV, they can do absolutely nothing to control how many people can sit in front of a home TV to watch a given VoD screening.

[debro]

[QUOTE=Seán;2575478]Ithey can do absolutely nothing to control how many people can sit in front of a home TV to watch a given VoD screening.[/QUOTE]
At least until glassless 3D TV’s with limited viewing angles

[blegs38552]

Not for $30.00 a pop, but if the prices were equivalent to a local theaters pricing, and if the local theaters (maybe within 5 miles of my home zip code) received the same net profit as they would for the ticket (not for the popcorn, however) from the studio, this might prove to be a business model that all could buy into.

[Blu-rayFreak]

Yeah right, the movie studios would never just “gift” local theaters some of the revenue from VOD titles.

[wconeybeer]

Before I either go to the theater or spend money on a rental, producers need to put out something that’s worth spending ~2 hours of my time to sit and watch. Not only does going to the theater increase that time commitment by about an hour, it also makes a big dent in the bank account. And at least at home there’s no chance of getting some loudmouth jackass sitting behind me talking to his friends throughout, and the cell phone texting queen with the glaring screen in front of me.

Frankly, I’m likely not going to pay a premium to rent a movie on day 1. I’m happy to wait a couple of months to view it from my couch on the cheap.

[Wombler]

I’m at the stage now where the equipment I have at home produces a better experience for me than the cinema so I nearly always either watch movies via VOD in HD, which is pretty much equivalent to Blu-ray, or wait for the Blu-ray to come out.

Basically I’d rather sit down in the comfort of my own home with a glass of wine and a few snacks (that I haven’t been coerced into spending a fortune on) in the company of friends or family.

There will always be viewers though that have to see the movie on or soon after the day of release and then possibly buy the movie later when it comes out in other formats.

These people effectively give the movie companies multiple bites at the cherry and I can’t see them giving up this staged release system unless they feel they’re compelled to.

I imagine they’ll analyse this to see if the simultaneous release adversely affects cinema attendances and decide how to procede based on that.

[B]Wombler[/B]

[tmc8080]

The price charged probably isn’t the central issue, although as with many retail products pricing one’s self out of a market is a factor in supply and demand (piracy being the other competition) . Convenience, quality of product, timing & delivery, Digital Rights Management (if any), digital formats, range of availability (wide international distribution vs limited), etc.

While major entertainment and media content sellers are having a hard time hocking physical product. Digial distribution window to sell retail product over the internet is already sailing. To the extent that Hollywood is still tinkering with finding a model which works for them (which they can accept on their terms AND which the public will go for) still is very dim due to their inflexiblity on their terms. The time to strike while the iron was hot was before telecom & cable companies decided which geographies to chop up & call their “home turf” to deploy high speed internet (2003ish). Right now they’ve missed the cycle & an important opportunity and it will take lots more dialog with customers on what terms they might accept. So send out the surveys to the captive faithful while they are still flocking to the theater’s. Maybe offer some incentive for completing the survey such as a free movie.

[debro]

[QUOTE=Wombler;2575527]I’m at the stage now where the equipment I have at home produces a better experience for me than the cinema so I nearly always either watch movies via VOD in HD, which is pretty much equivalent to Blu-ray, or wait for the Blu-ray to come out.

Basically I’d rather sit down in the comfort of my own home with a glass of wine and a few snacks (that I haven’t been coerced into spending a fortune on) in the company of friends or family.

There will always be viewers though that have to see the movie on or soon after the day of release and then possibly buy the movie later when it comes out in other formats.

These people effectively give the movie companies multiple bites at the cherry and I can’t see them giving up this staged release system unless they feel they’re compelled to.
[/QUOTE]
Woot! 50Mb/s internet connection!

On the rare occasions that my missus drags me to splurge a small fortune on seeing a movie at the cinema … I smuggle my own snacks & drinks into the cinema.

At prices double the drink machines outside in the malls, and almost 3 times the local supermarkets for the same products, and then $8 for some popcorn, which is usually stale and inedible anyway … I can’t see why they even bother with the snack bar.

And the cinema complex itself … it’s despicably sad that a “cheap as chips” home theatre in a box provides better sound quality than the muffled, ear-splitting noise that comes through what these cinemas call a sound system.
The seats are commonly gooey, wet, covered in greasy popcorn, broken, too cramped, too high, too low,

Cinemas here have started with assigned seats … and charging for online booking, where you can choose your seat, but when booking at the ticket booth, they just assign you a random seat beyond the black stump! And assuming you’ve paid the premium to choose your seat, you regularly have the uncomfortable confrontation with the black stumpers sitting in your seats … and then find that the seats are wet, covered in sticky stuff, popcorn, chewing gum …

FFS … I’m totally over cinemas …

Of course, with digital delivery, I’d expect that because it’s significantly cheaper, the price would be significantly lower, since they’ve obviously factored in the fact that now the consumer has the burden of the:

1. Internet costs, quota’s & whatnot.
2. Electricity costs - At upto 1500W, surround speakers systems aren’t cheap to run …
3. Equipment costs - TV, 3D Glasses, Surround Systems, VOD Players, networking equipment …

[Zathros]

Last time I went to the theater was for the final Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit might get me back, for once last time. I haven’t been feeling that well lately, so I’ll go see that one the oddball chance of having to wait a year after it’s release.