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[Dalek]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...s-with-film-studios-for-earlier-movie-rentals

Apple Inc. is pressing Hollywood studios for earlier access to movies, according to people with knowledge of the matter, a move that would bolster the company’s iTunes business.

21st Century Fox Inc., Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. and Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures all confirmed over the past week that they are looking to offer high-priced, home-video rentals of new movies shortly after they open in theaters. Some studio executives have been pushing to allow home rentals as early as two weeks after theatrical debuts and are considering a deal with iTunes as one option, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.

The most recent talks are part of longer-running efforts by Cupertino, California-based Apple to get new movies sooner, two of the people said. Such an arrangement could help iTunes stand out in a crowded online market for movies, TV shows and music. While the iTunes store helped Apple build a dominant role in music retailing, the company hasn’t carved out a similar role in music and video streaming.

Hollywood studios typically give theaters exclusive rights to new movies for 90 days or more before issuing them on DVD or making them available for online purchase. With cinema attendance mostly stagnant and home-video revenue flat in recent years, film companies are under pressure to find new areas of growth.

One option is a premium-priced online rental for new movies, at prices of $25 to $50, a possibility under consideration at the studios, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Theater chains have battled to keep their exclusive hold over new movies, in some cases boycotting films that were released too soon for home viewing. But Cinemark Holdings Inc., the No. 3 U.S. exhibitor, said recently it’s looking for solutions that would benefit both sides and held preliminary talks about creating a so-called premium window for home entertainment. Such a service is likely within the next 18 months, one of the people said.

Those talks may have gained momentum after Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, said in March he was trying to create a new home-video service, called Screening Room, that would offer viewers movies on the same day they were released in theaters. The company has also discussed offering movies at home after 14 days in theaters, two of the people said. A spokeswoman for Screening Room declined to comment.

 

[infiniteloop]

I'd pay it tbh. Cost me $30-$40 to take the family to the movies as it is.

 

[jon bones]

id pay $40 to see a movie day 1 at home with friends

 

[Dalek]

I'd pay it tbh. Cost me $30-$40 to take the family to the movies as it is.

No kidding. And that's just the tickets.

 

[BeforeU]

disgusting. This exclusive anti consumer shit should be illegal.

 

[Dishwalla]

Sounds good, there is definitely a big gap between theatrical and home video releases that I don't understand. Most movies, barring the biggest blockbusters like Star Wars, don't really have legs to last more than a month in theaters.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

Fuck apple if it's exclusive.

 

[Bubba T]

I've heard of studios trying this before, before the multiplex industry (AMC, etc) lobbied against it.

This actually doesn't look like a terrible price if you consider how much people spend going to the movies in the first place. Home theater setups are closing in (but still not as good) on replicating the multiplex experience and you don't have to deal with noisy kids and people using cell phones.

 

[Nazgul_Hunter]

Fuck apple if it's exclusive.

Why? They're the ones negotiating it. This would be a new offering it's not like they're taking something away

 

[maquiladora]

25-50 bucks to watch a movie on a small regular ass screen in my house or 8 bucks to watch it on an awesome giant screen with all the magic and atmosphere of a theater experience?

Tough call.

 

[djkimothy]

Fuck apple if it's exclusive.

You think apple is negotiating on behalf of google or amazon? they can make their own deal.

 

[Bubba T]

25-50 bucks to watch a movie on a small regular ass screen in my house or 8 bucks to watch it on an awesome giant screen with all the magic and atmosphere of a theater experience?

Tough call.

Perhaps for you, but there are an increasing amount of people who would pay to watch it in their own homes with their own setups. 25-50 bucks wouldn't be all that different from what families and couples are spending now.

 

[DizzyCaffeine]

Wouldn't this just lead to even more rampant piracy? A bootleg camera copy is one thing, but if a DVD quality copy is available on torrent sites a few weeks after release....yikes.

 

[numble]

25-50 bucks to watch a movie on a small regular ass screen in my house or 8 bucks to watch it on an awesome giant screen with all the magic and atmosphere of a theater experience?

Tough call.

Some people have home theaters.
In major markets the ticket prices are about $10-$13.
You can watch with multiple people.

 

[Dark Ninja]

Anything to avoid annoying people

 

[SaganIsGOAT]

With the increase in general assholery at the movie theaters this sounds ace.

 

[shira]

More jobs gonna be lost to technology.

The guy down the street had a 40 year career being a projectionist

 

[Woorloog]

Wouldn't this just lead to even more rampant piracy? A bootleg camera copy is one thing, but if a DVD quality copy is available on torrent sites a few weeks after release....yikes.

Is pirated view a lost sale?
I mean, in many case pirates are may be unlikely to pay in the first place, and if so, early release might not have any real effect.

On the other hand, piracy could happen because it is convenient and so offering even more convenient option (even if one must pay) might reduce piracy.

Either way, i'd imagine the potential for piracy has been accounted for in these negotiations.

 

[Pie and Beans]

With all the money Hollywood spends on lobbying against piracy and running the FBI, it would be hilarious to see it hand over HD film files making their way even faster to torrents.

 

[CrimsonSquall]

Torrenters doing the Birdman shake as we speak

 

[Darryl M R]

I would pay $30-40 to watch a movie in my house. I'm hoping to get a 65+ 4k TV and I would just cut off all the lights, have popcorn ready with Henry Hard soda and enjoy my evening.

 

[Garou]

These systems already exist for really rich people and come with encrypted (and possibly watermarked) data streams, special projectors etc. at 500$ for a 24h rental.

http://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2015/4/7/8361475/prima-cinema-luxury-movie-watching-furious-7

 

[Tedesco!]

$25 so my whole family can watch a movie. $4 for microwave popcorn and a 2-liter of soda. I don't have to drive 40 minutes to the quasi-shitty mall theater and I don't have to deal with uncivilized pedestrians? Sounds like a great deal to me!

 

[entremet]

You think apple is negotiating on behalf of google or amazon? they can make their own deal.

Yep

ITT, Babbies first business negotiation class

What's in it for Apple to negotiate for other companies lol?

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

So how do they stop piracy of it? Cause I know from personal experience that a camera in a theatre are much less popular than HD screencaps.

 

[old manatee]

It sucks that it costs that much and it is just going to be a rental. When a new movie comes to Amazon you only have the option to buy it at full price for like 2 weeks before you are given the option to rent it. If it's going to cost more than $25 it seems like you should get to keep a measly digital copy.

So how do they stop piracy of it? Cause I know from personal experience that a camera in a theatre are much less popular than HD screencaps.

Most movies are already pirated in high quality well before the blu ray comes out. Pirates are going to pirate. You might as well ignore them and try to make a buck off of the people willing to pay for movies. (mostly old people and cool people)

 

[jstripes]

Cheap Tuesdays are doomed if this happens.

 

[D4Danger]

So how do they stop piracy of it? Cause I know from personal experience that a camera in a theatre are much less popular than HD screencaps.

you can't stop it you just have to hope the business works out in your favour. Considering how much movies still make at theaters it seems like suicide but what do I know.

 

[Toa TAK]

Sign me up.

Though, on second thought, I dunno. I love the theater. It's pretty much my second home.

 

[Sweeney Tom]

Sticking with theater experience unless it's available on a lot more than Apple products

 

[Chezzymann]

No way. Fuck that. Hope this isn't the start of the end of theaters. That would suck as everything is going online these days.

 

[MHWilliams]

Rogue One tickets costs $30+ for two people. You can watch at home for $25 to $50? Do it in a heartbeat for some mid-range flicks.

 

[Reagan's BR]

While I would much rather see a movie in a theater, it is about $15 for me to see a movie. I have to buy tickets at least a day in advance as the theaters here all have those recliners and reserved seating. I can't just pick up on a rainy saturday afternoon and go see a movie on a whim.

It would nice to pay $25 to watch a movie with some friends in someones house. Would definitely do it.


Really wish movie theaters were less pricy and I could just pick up and go to see a movie on a whim like I was once able to.