Sliding Windows
More from the IMDb Studio Briefing about movie release windows (remember my Bubble Blower boycott?):
Hollywood blockbusters are not likely ever to be released simultaneously in theaters and on DVD, leading filmmakers have told USA Today. In an interview with today’s (Monday) edition, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) commented, “What some people don’t get is that a movie makes a much stronger connection with audiences than DVDs. … If someone really loves something they see in theaters, they champion it in a way they don’t with DVDs. … They work harder to get people to come to theaters. And that creates a demand when the DVD finally does come out. Financially, messing with that model is dumb.” Twentieth Century Fox distribution chief Bruce Snyder observed that Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic, would have tanked if the window had been shut. “People didn’t know the story, didn’t know about the performances. It needed to be in theaters and get people talking before they were going to buy a copy to keep forever,” he said. J.J. Abrams, who is director of Mission: Impossible III, remarked that he made the movie “for theaters … not for DVD.” Abrams, who also created Lost and Alias for TV, commented, “Story is important, but people also come to the theater for spectacle.”
Taken at face value, these filmmakers are simply arguing that the experience of watching a movie in the cinema is qualitatively different (and better) than watching on DVD. Nothing earthshattering there: it’s pretty obvious that the big screen has a unique appeal. But what the heck does this have to do with simultaneous release? If there are compelling reasons for moviegoers to opt for the cinema, why is that a reason not to offer them the choice of viewing on DVD? I still smell a protecting-you-from-yourself agenda. Maybe they’re just claiming that it won’t be economical to devote shelf space to DVDs if they have to compete with movie theatre exhibition in the early days of release. But shelf space is so 20th century. Simultaneous release is coming, whatever the Hollywood elite might claim, and cinemas had better be prepared to compete on their own merits.
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I don’t like watching movies in cinamas. There is always meny people in, popcorn and coke cost 5 times more than it shuld… It’s not worth getting out from home.
Comment by GG — 3/21/2006 @ 2:12 pm
I have been looking for reasons not to see this happen. This is not because I don’t want it to, but I’m looking for someone to provide for me a reason not to go and watch a fantastic epic at the theater, and then not want to buy it when it’s done… while I’m still a champion for it, and while I’m still hot for it. Well, I think I found it.
The next time I go to the theater and spend my hard earned money (and trust me, it’s like an investment anymore since I don’t like spending money on crappy movies - regardless of the eye-candy), and fanatically enjoy , buying the movie on DVD would actually hurt the sales and revenue of the theatrical release. Why?
Greg: Martin, did you see ?
Martin: Yes, I did, and Holy Schnikies, it was GREAT! It was so good that I bought the DVD when the movie was over. .
Greg: Wow, I didn’t expect you to like it that much. Sounds like it was really a good movie. DVD huh? Is that it? Let me borrow it for the night….
… and so begins the downfall of movie theater revenue. Though I might champion people to see a movie, I cannot alienate my friends by saying, “Nah, go see the movie and you can borrow my DVD afterwards”. Who says that? Who would? Why would you? Answers: Nobody, Nobody, and you wouldn’t. Heck, this is how many of my high school friendships started. Hey Martin, can I borrow that copy of Poison, Whitesnake, or XXXXX? And lifelong friendships were sown in that moment. But there is a difference between this model for movies and music.
Music events like concerts, as far as I can see, can only benefit from this. I’ve already seen web casts do this, so why not the actual event? When the vent is in town, it’s only in town for 1 to 4 days, max. I cannot afford $50 for the tickets, but I can afford $20 for the DVD of the event. And as long as there is a history of quality audio and video recordings of said events, why not capture that moment in time. What would you give for a DVD copy of Woodstock or Grassroots? You were there, you were and nearly .
But then again, I’m not saying much of anything. But if I was, I’m just sayin’.
Comment by Martin — 4/7/2006 @ 4:01 pm