Starz Digital Media, the digital and on-demand licensing arm of Starz Media, LLC, and Dimension Films announced that Piranha 3DD, the sequel to the surprise 2010 hit, Piranha 3D, will be available on-demand and online for VOD rentals day and date with its June 1st theatrical release. The Piranha 3DD day-and-date theatrical/VOD launch is the first Dimension Films release to venture into this trendsetting release model, the first collaboration between Dimension Films and Starz Digital Media, and the first ever available for a 3D movie.
“With the worldwide box office and critical success of PIRANHA 3D, I am excited to explore and take advantage of a wider release strategy which will give fans of the franchise an opportunity to see PIRANHA 3DD on multiple platforms,” said Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company (TWC).
Piranha 3DD will be available for a 48-hour VOD rental; $6.99 in standard and high definition, and $7.99 in 3D; consumers have 30 days from the time of purchase to begin viewing.
More than 95% of U.S. cable/satellite/Telco multichannel video households are served by operators participating in the Piranha 3DD VOD campaign, while leading Internet VOD distributors participating include (alphabetically): Amazon Instant Video, Google Play/YouTube, iTunes, PlayStation Network, Vudu, and Xbox Live.
Starz Digital Media has also collaborated with Milyoni to bring Piranha 3DD in VOD to Facebook, with the first-ever 3D Facebook VOD app for rental on the leading social media platform. The app allows users to transform the online movie-viewing experience into a social experience by letting them comment and share clips, stills, and quotes with their friends.
“Fans of the Piranha franchise are in for a ‘feeding frenzy’ of viewing options, with so many opportunities and ways to enjoy the campy and thrilling sequel,” said Mara Winokur, senior vice president of digital media distribution at Starz Media and lead executive at Starz Digital Media. “We have been looking at experimenting in the premium VOD space; Piranha 3DD provided the perfect title in terms of genre and installed fan base. Adding in the first-ever Facebook 3D option gives viewers even more control over how and when they watch the movie, and is a logical extension of the premium VOD experience.”
Starz Media’s Anchor Bay Entertainment and Starz Digital Media distribute domestically new theatrical content for TWC movies and its Dimension Films label in the home video and VOD/digital spaces.
Piranha 3DD will open in select theaters nationwide. Anchor Bay Entertainment will distribute the movie on Blu-Ray 3D Combo Pack and DVD later this year.
