I’ve always been a bit of a purist, maintaining that in a theater is still the best place to see a film. I even opt to support the independently run theaters as much as possible rather than fork my money over to the AMCs of the world, something my girlfriend makes fun of me for.
Yet last night we were feeling lazy and went the Video On Demand route and split a paltry $6.99 on All Good Things. This isn’t a review, but I’d highly recommend it — even at full price.
But then I opened up the winter schedule from the art house theater down the street to find All Good Things will be opening there on Christmas Day (odd placement for a moody murder mystery if you ask me) and thought to myself, “What’s the point?” Unless, of course, you’re one of those people who don’t have cable. Yes, they still exist. Trust me, I used to work at a video store.
Look, I live in Chicago. It gets cold here. That whole “Windy City” thing is endearing and all, but it’s also a sad reality. Especially in the winter. Lips get chapped, toes go numb, and people slip on the ice all the time. It’s all fun and games until you’re the one calling in sick with a broken tailbone.
Do I really want to get all bundled up to scrape off my car or walk to the corner and wait for an intermittently reliable source of public transportation so I can spend $10 per ticket and another $5 on a drink (sorry, I get thirsty) only to wait through 20 minutes of Coke commercials, Kid Rock music videos and trailers I’ve already seen ten times before the movie even starts?
Or should I just make a simple $6.99 charge to my cable bill while wrapped up in a blanket with a can of Diet Coke and Chinese leftovers. Hey, I can even pause the movie to get up for a restroom break or to answer the aggravating question of “what do I know that guy from?”
Deadline’s Nikki Finke reported last week that despite a lukewarm opening in two New York theaters, All Good Things has already made millions from Video On Demand purchases. Recent non-VOD limited releases like Jack Goes Boating and Buried, while anchored by high-profile stars, have failed to approach that number through their entire theatrical runs. Surely a rollout similar to that of All Good Things would have proven more profitable for these releases.
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone lives in New York or L.A. And those people like independent movies too. Magnolia and IFC seem to be the foremost distributors embracing the On Demand formula, but perhaps it will only be a matter of time before a Fox Searchlight or Sony Classics follows suit.
Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan made an impressive $1.4 million in its first weekend while opening in just 18 theaters, a record per theater average for a Fox Searchlight release. I can’t help but think how much this number would have been aided buy a supplementary VOD release. Black Swan will make its money (it made another $3.3 million this weekend in only 90 theaters), eventually expand to wide release and hopefully be playing in a theater near you in the coming weeks. But for every Black Swan there’s an Animal Kingdom that can’t reach an audience because the access simply isn’t there.
Writer/director/actor Edward Burns has gone as far as forgoing the theatrical release altogether. His most recent film, Nice Guy Johnny, was released straight to iTunes and VOD on October 26 after wrapping up its run on the festival circuit. Burns views this model as a new home for independent filmmakers. “If these new revenue streams weren’t being uncovered, I know I would be out of business,” he told the AP’s Nicole Evatt.
The numbers back it up, with Diana Kerekes, Comcast’s VP of Entertainment Services, noting the more than 200,000 indie purchases a month.
Others, like Magnolia co-owner Mark Cuban, view the VOD format as a platform, a jumping of point for their films’ impending theatrical releases. “Hopefully this will change the landscape of independent film allowing movies to gain awareness and momentum going into their theatrical release,” he opined to Cinematical’s David Ehrlich for a September 2010 article.
Magnolia released Monsters to cable boxes over a month before its October 29 theatrical debut, hoping that hardcore genre junkies would spread the word to their less monster-crazed friends. The 2009 Joaquin Phoenix/Gwyneth Paltrow romance Two Lovers remains the format’s largest success, showing a larger net profit from its On Demand run than its theatrical showings.
You would think the VOD model would be the more lucrative option since the studio basically cuts out the middle man and eliminates print costs and theater takes, but Magnolia Senior Vice President Tom Quinn insists the ultimate goal is to produce strong box-office numbers. They’re basically using VOD to spark buzz for their films, something Black Swan doesn’t appear to need.
So I’m interested to hear what you think. Does a VOD rental offer a more appealing option than a theater ticket? How much would you be willing to pay to watch a movie like Black Swan from the comfort of your home right now? What if you lived in a place like Montana, for example?
