VOD Overdose is Movie Buzzers’ coverage of video-on-demand developments and upcoming films premiering on video-on-demand. With an increasing number of studios embracing VOD as a way to premiere and distribute films, this column covers movies that might be worth a look even though they aren’t playing at your local multiplex.
GoWatchIt.Com — How to Find the Movies You Want To See
So you’ve heard about an indie movie you’re dying to see, but it’s not playing anywhere near you and Netflix doesn’t have it. Instead of venturing in skeevy DVD stores in the hopes of finding a bootleg, check out the awesome website GoWatchIt.com, which is a searchable database of films available on nearly every format you can think of. It even allows you to compare the available platforms by price and an “alert” feature to let you know when the movie becomes available in a new format. The website is currently in beta format, but it’s already an awesome resource. And hey, Roger Ebert even has his own mini-page on it!
Studios Acquiring an Increasing Amount of Films for Day-and-Date VOD Distribution
What’s “day-and-date” mean in regard to theatrical and VOD distribution? It means the studio intends to release the movie in a select amount of theaters (often 20 or less) and VOD on the same day. It’s obvious that companies are using VOD to reach wide audiences while doing very limited theatrical releases in key markets.
Here’s a huge list of the day-and-date acquisitions since my last column:
In something that has the potential to be huge, Freestyle has acquired the Australian box office hit, Tomorrow, When The War Began for day-and-date distribution on February 24 (though the film is already available on DVD/Blu-ray). What makes this more fascinating than usual is that one of the VOD platforms that will offer the film is Facebook. With Facebook being one of the most visited websites on the internet, the possibilities of this model of distribution are eye opening.
Magnolia has acquired the rights to distribute Marley, a documentary on the legendary reggae musician. The documentary will have a day-and-date VOD release alongside a small theatrical run starting on April 20. A reggae movie coming out on 4/20? Well, Magnolia knows its target audience… Magnolia will also distribute The Magic of Belle Isle, starring Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen and directed by Rob Reiner (it was previously known as The Summer of Monte Wildhorn) this summer. That’s some pretty big names for a day-and-date release.
The Weinstein Company has created a new multi-format release distribution company called Radius, and its first day-and-date acquisition is Bachelorette, an adaptation of writer/director Leslye Headland’s stage play starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, and James Marsden. Radius’ next film will be a remake of the 1996 movie Pusher, best known as the debut movie for Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive), who fully endorses the remake.
Film Movement will release Off White Lies, an Israeli comedy, which will have a New York theatrical release with a day-and-date VOD release.
Go Digital will release Unraveled, a documentary about Marc Dreier, a Ponzi schemer whose own arrest and prosecution was pushed off the front page by the much more infamous Bernie Madoff. It’ll be released in theaters and VOD on April 13.
Phase 4 has acquired the distribution rights to Horrid Henry: The Movie, based on the popular children’s book series, for a day-and-date theatrical and VOD release in the U.S. after doing well in the UK. Since renting a movie on demand is a heck of a lot cheaper than dragging two or three kids to the movies, I’m surprised that more studios haven’t explored the VOD model for children’s content.
Finally, the popular Sundance doc Room 237, about the “secrets” behind Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining, will be screened at Cannes before a day-and-date release later this year. IFC films is behind the doc’s release.
And in non-day-and-date release news, 96 Minutes, a carjacking thriller that debuted way back in the 2011 South By Southwest Film Festival, is finally getting a release from ARC Entertainment and XLrator Media. Following the model of the upcoming Dark Tide and Goon, 96 Minutes will be released on VOD on March 22, followed by a theatrical release on April 27. Similarly, Magnolia will release haunted house movie (well, haunted apartment, actually) Apartment 143 on VOD on April 27, then spring for a theater release on June 1.
The popularity of this distribution model is definitely growing, which is great news for movie fans who don’t want to leave their couches.
Latest VOD News
In other VOD news…
While Hollywood studios and independent filmmakers are still trying to figure out how successful the VOD format might be in the United States, Variety reports that VOD sales in France rose by 50% in 2011, while France also saw a 9% decrease in DVD/Blu-ray sales. Inexplicably, the article blames piracy as a factor in the sinking DVD sales… but if piracy was such an issue, would VOD sales make such a significant gain? Movie piracy over digital platforms is as significant, if not more significant, then that old guy down at Burger King selling bootleg DVDs.
Redbox — the kiosk rental service which has been the cheapest way to catch films you might have missed in theaters and low-budget, straight-to-video releases — is teaming with Verizon to release a streaming-and-download service. It definitely looks like an alternative to Netflix, and while the service probably won’t have the same selection it might end up being a far better value. We’ll keep you posted.
And finally, while studios are slowly embracing VOD as a model for releasing low-budget and independent films, Bridesmaids has proven that big blockbusters can generate big bucks through VOD sales: Variety reports has grossed an additional $24 million on 4.8 million OnDemand VOD rentals, with an estimated additional $16 million from other outlets like online and hotel rentals. That’s on top of the film’s $288 million worldwide gross (on a $32.5 million budget!). As of now, it’s the most popular VOD movie of all time. A comedy like Bridesmaids certainly seems like a movie perfect for the VOD format since it doesn’t have huge special effects, 3D, or a soundtrack that requires a theater wired for pristine sound like a rap star’s Escalade. I’d imagine studios will now be more willing to push a movie with a successful box office to VOD customers, but let’s hope they don’t ignore the independents!
Upcoming VOD Releases
(For films premiering on VOD platforms, or hitting VOD after limited theatrical runs.)
[D2V] denotes movie that is also being released direct to DVD and/or Blu-ray on the same day.
February 21:
Inkubus
It’s always worth noticing when the original Freddy Kruger, Robert Englund, does another horror film. However, I never thought I’d see the horror icon in a moving co-starring a boy band member (Joey Fatone). After a 16-theater run in October, Inkubus is being released on DVD the same day and will also be available at Redbox kiosks.
February 24:
Goon
Goon is a surprising experiment — this hockey comedy starring Seann William Scott and directed by Michale Dowse (Take Me Home Tonight) has gotten some positive press (Graham posted the trailer here). It’s also premiering on VOD a week before its limited theatrical release on March 30.
Tomorrow, When the War Began
Though already available on DVD/Blu-ray, this adaptation of the book series about a group of teenagers coping with a post-invasion world will be released in 10 theaters and on multiple VOD platforms, including Facebook.
February 28:
Return
Starring Linda Cardellini (Freaks & Geeks) as a soldier returning to civilian life and Michael Shannon (Take Shelter), Return premiered all the way back at Cannes but wasn’t picked up for a full theatrical release. The film is being released in two theaters (New York and L.A., of course) on February 10, but obviously will reach most of its audience via VOD.
The Collapsed
This post- apocalyptic horror movie won the Best of Festival award at the Metropolitan Film Festival and has been making the rounds of film festivals since late 2010.
March 2:
ATM
I saw a trailer for this claustrophobic horror film while seeing Sherlock Holmes 2, and I think it’s a pretty clever concept for a horror movie — being trapped in one of those free standing ATM kiosks while a killer tries to reach you. Of course, it’ll all depend on the execution, but casting Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker) and the beautiful Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League) is a good start. It will have a limited theatrical release on April 6.
March 6:
The Frontier Boys [D2V]
A basketball drama seemingly in the vein of The Basketball Diaries, in which four high school friends find their lives changed by a drive-by shooting.
March 8:
Dark Tide
Directed by John Stockwell (Blue Crush) and starring Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez, this shark movie will premiere on VOD on March 8, nearly two weeks before its March 30 theatrical release (similar to Goon). Lots of Berry in a bikini, apparently!
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