Looks like John Fithian, the heads of the US association of Cinema Owners, is not the only one who doesn’t like the idea of simultaneous releases of films in Cinema, DVD, Cable and Internet. Now M. Night Shyamalan is unhappy too. In fact he doesn’t even want the release window shortened. According to the Guardian:
“It’s greed,” Shyamalan told delegates at the ShowEast industry convention in Orlando, Florida. “It’s heartless and soulless and disrespectful. And of course, cable companies are behind it, and internet companies. They need their product. But they have to wait their turn. Wait for the thing to finish its life.”…”If you inspire audiences, cinemas will be packed,”
Yes they will, and he’s totally right. I also do think that despite the product being the same I do view the releases in Cinema and DVD as two distinctly separate things. In the Cinema you enjoy the Cinema experience, in the Home Cinema you (if produced correctly) can enjoy the experience as intended by the creatives behind the movie, plus you can enjoy the experience of understanding about the movie and the filmmaking process. These things are very different to me, and I enjoy both – however it’s well documented which I prefer more!
Yet he goes on a short rant…
He continued: “Movies are the definitive art form of our lives. We have been seduced by the DVD and what will sell the DVD. It has been the worst year in cinema for quality.”
Is that down to the DVD though? That’s what is being inferred with this statement, and I don’t think he can say that with truthfulness and accuracy as much as they can claim that the downturn in cinema trips is because of Internet Piracy. The DVD has been here for a long time, that’s not what’s contributing to the downturn in audience figures, it’s poor movies, half rate celebrity hyping vehicles; shoddy, cheap remakes and a general lack of quality.
Sure there are many other factors, but DVD’s not killing it. In fact Mr Shyamalan, if you bothered to turn out decent DVD’s you might actually get more revenue. Instead your last DVD didn’t even have a commentary…poor, poor.
However all is not yet lost: experts say box office fortunes may recover thanks to a highly anticipated slew of year-end films like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, King Kong, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Yes, there you go. Quality.
Still, going back to the main argument and taking a breath, I’m really on the fence about this release timing business. I think giving the good movies a crack at the Cinema first is a great idea, and then selectively chucking the not so good ones straight onto a simultaneous release is a great idea.
Quick bit of background, this has really come about because…
…studio 2929 Entertainment’s billionaire owners Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban announced earlier this year that they would release six low-budget Steven Soderbergh films simultaneously in cinemas, on video and television
Something we’ve already written about, note the phrase here “low-budget”. Perhaps they qualify in the not so good bracket? It might just work for that kind of movie. Thoughts? Do you like the split idea of good movies in the cinema and not-so on all media? Prefer everything on everything from release day? Why – that’s the big one, why do you think that and what are the benefits?
Wow…my respect for Shyamalan just got flushed down the toilet. His theory for why Cuban wants to release to theaters, DVD, etc. simultaneously is…wait for it…GREED??!@#$#!!! Back the truck up…the reason studios DON’T want that is GREED. They want you to pay as many times as possible to see the same content, and a simultaneous release schedule denies them multiple sales.
jeez where to start. i feel conflicted. i defintely feel that if you relese everything at the same time, then you will defintely see a drop in cinema showings. why? price mostly. think about it. you each pay x amount for tickets, and y for food and drinks, versus buying/renting the dvd for litle more/less than just ONE person pays for ticket, nd be able to watch it with friends in comfortable surroundings and have whatever food you want.
price is a major factor, nd ny drp in cinem earnings willahve major effects of profitability.
however if it was a big buddget blockbuster, i would always want to see it at a cinema simply due to the screen size, and sound.
another point, is that surely you would film differently if you’re going straight to dvd? the angles and what not would be designed to be seen on a (relatively small) tv screen versus a huge cinema screen. sound would also be mixed different. then there’s a timescale. if you’re going to put a film out simultneously on cinema and dvd, surely that would take longer to do, rather thn being able to stagger it, and adjust your marketing accordingly. with a simultaneous release, surely you’ve only got one shot at maximum impact?
however, i love and admire mark cuban’s vision. he’s bought into all the stages of the market, and if anyone can make this work, he can. most importntly, it will give low budget developments a chance, and a better profit share thnt the traditionl studio model.