Condemning Simultaneous Movie Releases After One Showing
from the talk-about-a-small-sample-size dept
There was so much buzz concerning the release of Steven Soderbergh's film Bubble, using the infamous "day and date" release plan of offering it in theaters and on DVD at the same time, that it's no surprise that people on both sides of the debate have been overreacting to it. First, before it was released, there were stories talking up how this was a sign of doom for the movie theaters and the beginning of the end -- or some other silliness. Then, after most of the movie theaters bizarrely boycotted the movie (meaning more people would view it on DVD than in the theaters anyway), people are ready to jump up and say this kind of release doesn't work. It would seem that one movie is perhaps too small a sample size to jump to a conclusion on either side of the debate -- no matter how much fun it might be.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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It will take a mainstream release to get any data.
Interesting data would come if somethign like The Pink Panther had been released like this. I used that movie as an example because it looks like it was number one in the US this past weekend. I'm not interested in seeing this either.. But the first big movie to be released this way will simply have one more excuse for why they didn't do well, as opposed to simply being a bad movie.
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What about Curious George?
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Restrict the sales to only theaters
Theaters need to be imaginative. And work with the studios.
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The real problem with Bubble
When all the information about a movie is how it's being distributed, I really can't think of any incentive to rush out and see/rent/watch it. Whoever the marketing team was, they failed spectacularly.
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The movie might have done better
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No Subject Given
Controversy sells. And the movie industry is loving this.
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Movie Theaters Suck
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No Subject Given
1) To get the big screen experience
2) To see the movie soon after it comes out.
The people that go for the experience will still go to the theater. It will still be a better option for youths to go to the theater on a date rather than "hey lets go back to my place and watch the movie on my 32-inch TV with my parents"
The people they would lose money from are the ones that only go to the theater in order to see the movie as soon as it comes out.
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No Subject Given
I bought Bubble in its first week of DVD release -- my (large) best buy received only 6 copies and I got the last one on Saturday (released Tuesday).
We voted with our wallets and will do so again.
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