Amazon Plans To Release 12 Movies a Year In Theaters and On Prime

An anonymous reader writes "Amazon has announced that it will begin to produce and acquire original movies for theatrical release and early window distribution on Amazon Prime Instant Video. From the article: "This is a big move from Amazon, as it seeks to narrow the theatrical release window to between four and eight weeks. It can often take up to a year for films to land on subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, however they do typically land on DVD/Blu-ray within around four months. Production for the aptly titled 'Amazon Original Movies' program will kick off in 2015, and plans are afoot to create around a dozen original titles for release in cinemas each year."

Comments

Marketecture Strategery

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

I think Amazon's doing this to blunt attempts by content providers, whether HBO, ESPN, etc. (or even the production companies themselves) to bypass middlemen like cable companies, Netflix, Amazon, etc. by bringing their own paid streaming content to market.

Re:Marketecture Strategery

[DarkOx]

Alternatively you could look at it as vertical integration. The premium cable group is really the only segment trying to 'bypass the middle man' the Studio's etc are doing just about anything they can to protect their old distribution model:

1) Sell it to the theaters (period of exclusivity)
2) Sell it to the second run theaters (shorter period of exclusivity)
3) Home video release
4) Streaming (new and constantly tinkered with)

Netflix and Amazon have both discovered the existing content industry merely tolerates them, if anything as way to scape a little more revenue in from folks who otherwise would have just gone the piratebay.{whatever it is this week}. They are not really interesting in offering licensing terms that given the streaming guys much of a "piece of the action" on any valuable properties. So rather than wait around for Studios to 'cut out the middle man' Netflix and Amazon are getting into the content business, makes sense.

The next logical step is for Amazon (who has more capital than Netflix) to go after the other distribution channels, why leave money on the table. Maybe you can get $20 worth of theater ticket sales once in a while outa somebody that otherwise won't subscribe to prime.

Re:Marketecture Strategery

[schlachter]

Streaming will become a commodity as there are multiple reliable/convenient methods to access content. Content will be the differentiator, and Amazon isn't going to want to rely on a third party relationship to provide that.

Cue the count down until Disney is bought by Apple for similar reasons.

Re:Good luck getting theaters on board

[geekmux]

Theater owners want exclusivity in releases. They don't want to show a movie that can be seen elsewhere in the same local market.

Well, good for them! I'm glad they want to hold on to a dying archaic model of overpriced sodas and popcorn in a big room.

This is how the businesses work.

Ah, no. This is how failed businesses work. By not adopting to the times.

In case the incumbants haven't noticed by now, the millenial generation of moviegoers is perfectly willing to watch a new-release movie on a damn 3" cell phone screen with earbuds. And content providers don't need a theater to make revenue. Sony likely paved the way with the rather forced online release of The Interview.

And as anti-social as "social" media has made humans in general, I don't see this trend changing. At all

Bottom line is incumbents better wake the hell up and smell what the single-serve k-cup generation is serving themselves.

Re:Wow! Cool!

[iluvcapra]

Just speaking for 2014... Birdman, Unbroken, American Sniper, Selma, Wild, Grand Budapest Hotel, Whiplash. All sequels and reboots? This was an amazing year for movies and it's really not that exceptional. There's a lot of crap too but 90% of everything is crap.

The big budget movies are usually franchises because franchises are the only way you can get half a billion dollars in box office. A lot of great movies are made every year. Judging Hollywood by Captain America sequels would be like saying Boeing only makes bombers.

I mean, these Amazon movies won't be "big" budget by any standard, either, probably no more than $50 million.