I'm pretty fond of Hoberman, too. I figure that movie critics are exposed to infinitely more movies than I am in any given year, and I can use their championing of indie or limited-release foreign flix to bolster my Netflix queue.
Also, I don't give much of a damn about most Hollywood movies, anyway.
Yup. Cat's out of the bag. Jesse's getting it on with the Lone Ranger
This must be how rumors get started, because I heard it was Tonto.
This must be how rumors get started, because I heard it was Tonto.
Dude, I heard you were Tonto.
Interesting observations about the changing film biz in Salon.
While some distributors, including Zeitgeist (says Gerstman), remain committed to theatrical release as the core of their business, and the moviegoing experience isn't going to disappear this year or next, the way movies get delivered to eyeballs is clearly changing, and changing fast. "There's no distribution company in the business that's making money off theatrical release," says IFC's Werner. "It's all publicity for the DVD."
Sasha Berman echoes him, saying, "You use theatrical release as a platform, and just write it off as marketing dollars for the DVD release. You need those [review] quotes and some word of mouth, some awareness of the title." Releasing a movie straight to DVD, without the review quotes or the New York/L.A. word of mouth, she adds, is "throwing your money away." But over the long haul (possibly as long as seven to 10 years), the DVD release gives independent distributors a fighting chance to turn a hit into a cult phenomenon, and a flop into a break-even proposition.
Was it the Simpsons or King of The Hill that had somebody go into a Blockbuster and there was a sign out front that said "If your movie doesn't star Sandra Bullock, it's free."
"You use theatrical release as a platform, and just write it off as marketing dollars for the DVD release. You need those [review] quotes and some word of mouth, some awareness of the title."
Isn't it Soderbergh who's going to release his next film in theaters and on DVD the same day? The best idea, IMO, is to have the DVDs available for sale at the theater. You get the viewers while they're still riding high on the wave of excitement from the movie they just watched. It's an impulse buy.
Ick. I sound like a marketer. I feel dirty.
Isn't it Soderbergh who's going to release his next film in theaters and on DVD the same day?
Plus download. Threeway access.
I sound like a marketer. I feel dirty.
Bill Hicks hates you from the grave.
I sound like a marketer. I feel dirty.
Bill Hicks hates you from the grave.
I need to go pray, or agitate for a Free Tibet, or something. I spent my college years mocking and tormenting the business majors.
I wonder if a bit of anticipation time wouldn't help sales more than having the DVDs ready at the door. Serenity is the only movie I would have bought on my way out of the theater this year, and there was never any doubt about me getting a copy almost as soon as it went on sale.