Not a fan of trudging out to your local theater to see the latest blockbuster? Six of Hollywood’s seven major studios are here to accommodate you and the couch you’d like to melt into. For an extra fee, of course.
Variety reports that movie studios are considering closing the gap between when you can see a movie at your multiplex and when you can check it out from the comfort of your own home. Fox and Warner Bros. are said to be the more flexible flick vendors in this regard with the rough 90-day gap between release and rental. Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara offered to cut distributors in on a percentage if they agreed to a 17-day turnaround. (This would mean something like Kong: Skull Island could be available by the end of the month, for example.) A $50 price point was recommended, a dollar amount that studios like Fox and Universal found a bit steep. A $30 rental amount has also been discussed, same with different waiting windows.
According to Variety, no deal is imminent, which means you’ll still have to leave home if you want to catch a summer blockbuster in a relatively timely manner. Still, these sorts of (early) talks signal that studios see home viewing as a more integral part of their rental/sales approach. In a world where Netflix looms large, companies like Universal, Fox, Warner Bros. and the like might find themselves increasingly as unlikely allies in hammering out the moviegoing/moviestaying landscape going forward.
(Via Variety)
