For a while we’ve all talked about how the Hollywood Studio model must change, we’ve talked and talked and wished it would happen but every time we talk about it…we know it’s not going to happen for a very long time. Well perhaps these utopian thoughts are not that far away, especially when some big names are now speaking out against it and demonstrating how it can change.
According to The BBC, Steven Soderbergh is going against that studio model right now.
Director Steven Soderbergh has called the movie business “out of whack” as he prepares to release his latest film in cinemas, on DVD and TV simultaneously.
“The studio model has to be rethought,” he told Hollywood Reporter. He has made low-budget murder mystery Bubble with US company 2929 Entertainment.
The film will be released in January in cinemas and on DVD. On the same day it will be made available on cable TV.
“I want them to sell Bubble DVDs in the theatre lobby,” said the 42-year-old.
Studios are concerned that launching DVDs on the same day as cinema releases will jeopardise box office takings.
But Soderbergh believes it is time for the industry to embrace change and new models of distribution.
“Everything changes and evolves,” he said. “We’ve got to get with it, embrace it and find a way to make it work…”The movies are not the way they used to be when I grew up.”
Very wise words indeed, and to be honest I’m blown away that this is actually being attempted. This will provide the studios with an actual business model of how the same day release would work, and what the benefits are. It will definitely be something they’ll analyse, but will it be implemented? We can only hope.
So, with the first thought for the day, can you see yourself going to the cinema when the DVD is available the same day, or it’s showing on Cable that night? If you did go, and the film was superb, would you buy the DVD on the way out?
Something that belatedly occurred to me is how this would impact piracy. We all know the contortions studios do to prevent popular DVDs from being released in one market before the film’s left theaters in another. Wouldn’t this just aid pirates by giving them something pristine to rip off while the film was still in theaters?
Like T-Jax says, if films and DVDs were to be released simultaneously, a lot of people would go for the DVDs, I think, and the theater business would suffer. The more I think about this, the less I understand it, since it seems to sabotage so many different revenue streams.
Soda, the concert merch comparison would make sense – if you were buying a copy of the concert you’d just attended. The DVD being sold at the theater is comparable to the film experience, not a spinoff or a promotional gimmick – it’s the film! So I don’t think the two are comparable, really.
Sometimes mystifying business decisions make sense if you can look at the demographics and numbers that went into making the decision. (It’s like some of the smaller iPods, that make no sense to me with a vast music collection but make perfect sense to people who only have 200 songs, the majority of the market – and hence they’re wildly popular.) I guess I’m saying I want more data.
Maybe I’m just overthinking this. I respect Soderbergh immensely; he’s a smart guy, but I can’t figure out what he’s up to.
If I went to the cinema or stayed at home and watched a movie on TV, I’d probably buy the DVD if I liked the movie. The DVD release time doesn’t seem that important to me.
I think the ones that have a lot to lose are the theaters. Me, if I’d have a choice, I’d rather stay at home and watch the movie on TV. I would only go to the cinema for certain movies that would look and sound WAY better in a theater than on TV (something like Star Wars, LOTR, War of the Worlds) or if I just wanted to go out, hang on with my friends and see a movie. But most of the time, I’d rather stay at home, watch the movie on TV, and eventually buy the DVD shortly after.
Though it’s radically different for the film industry, this practice has long existed in the music industry. At most concerts a vendor can usually be found hawking t-shirts, cds and other paraphenalia. Presumable the idea being that if the show was really great, you can pick up your own copy on the way out the door. So perhaps Soderbergh is onto something.
absolutely.
My first thought was that he was insane, but I’d be interested to see what happens with this experiment. I’m still not entirely sure what his rationale is for this decision; I’d like to see an in-depth interview in which he pitches the possible benefits of this approach other than a “hey, it’s different” soundbite. I know if I really dug the film in a theater I would pick up the DVD right there – if they had done that during the Toronto film fest I would have gone home with a lot of DVDs, since there were so many great films there. But wouldn’t it be difficult to figure out how many to print? What if the film bombs and you have a 1000 DVDs to get rid of? Or conversely if it’s a huge hit and you have to go back for another print run?
Despite what most folks think of this idea, I think it could really work to rejuvenate the film industry and/or stabilize loses. If a no frills DVD were offered in stores the same day as a theatrical release at a much higher price than normal (think of taking a family to see the film with concessions, etc.), then the family has a choice of spending the $$$, staying at home, avoiding the crowds, not shelling out for concessions, etc., and simply watching the film. Then, six months later, a DVD loaded with extras could hit the mass market shelves. The 2nd release would either get ignored — if the film tanked — OR would only serve to make the studio more $$$ b/c of the extras. Either way, I think it’s a win for both the consumer and the studio.