Movies should release to iTunes/DVD the same day as theaters

[TremblingEagle]

its basically happening already with the pirate copies
There was an Ironman pirate up in within a day or two.

[Gilly]

Nobody would go to theaters and pirate copies would still exist. I don't think any studio wants to make theaters extinct. Plus, all it would probably do is increase rental sales. I don't know if many people would say, "Hey, I'm saving a ton of money by not having to go to the theater, why not just buy it?". I think most people would just think it's cool that they can rent it the day it comes out.

[chrisfoll577]

im pretty sure this is slowly happening anyway... dvd release dates seem to come closer and closer to theatre openings now (what is it now, four months?).  while i like the romantic idea of the theatre experience, going to a movie theatre is like going to a mall for most americans.  and anyway, with the proliferation of large screen hd tvs and advanced surround sound systems in people's homes, the home is becoming a more viable option for that kind of entertainment.

[TremblingEagle]

Nobody would go to theaters and pirate copies would still exist. I don't think any studio wants to make theaters extinct. Plus, all it would probably do is increase rental sales. I don't know if many people would say, "Hey, I'm saving a ton of money by not having to go to the theater, why not just buy it?". I think most people would just think it's cool that they can rent it the day it comes out.

I think you underestimate the amount of people that love the big screen

[Gilly]

Maybe, but I think if there were a poll run asking people what they'd prefer I would say most people would rent the DVD purely for cost efficiency. Who knows though, maybe renting and buying a DVD would cost a lot more if that option were available. Studios could put a premium on new releases. It wasn't that long ago that you'd have to pay a lot of money for new release VHS tapes that weren't Disney or major blockbusters. I kind of doubt that studios would detract people from buying DVD's though by jacking up the price.

[masterofsparks]

Steven Soderbergh did this with his movie Bubble. Nobody really saw or bought it, though, so it's hard to say what effect this had on theater ticket sales.

[Martin]

The pirated versions of Iron Man are of pretty shitty quality so far - the best they've managed is a blurry telesync. Watching a big time movie like that in such poor quality makes absolutely no sense.

im pretty sure this is slowly happening anyway... dvd release dates seem to come closer and closer to theatre openings now (what is it now, four months?)

Going on three, yeah.

[jed]

People should never leave the house.

[yesno]

Movie theaters should stand or fall on their own merits, not because they are given special deals and propped up because of nostalgia.  I'm tempted to argue that people shouldn't get all weepy about people not wanting to gather together in a communal setting to watch a recording.  But in a lot of places, it's not like there's a lot of live theater or music.

That said, I am kind of nostalgic for midnight movies and whatnot.  Whatever you call those theaters that play old movies.  Not dollar theaters.  The other kind.

 

[emma]

That said, I am kind of nostalgic for midnight movies and whatnot.  Whatever you call those theaters that play old movies.  Not dollar theaters.  The other kind.

Rep cinemas?

[yesno]

That said, I am kind of nostalgic for midnight movies and whatnot.  Whatever you call those theaters that play old movies.  Not dollar theaters.  The other kind.

Rep cinemas?

Yes!  I was going to write "repertory theater," but that's for live stuff.  Or "revival house," they're called.

One thing about Netflix and whatnot is that now you're responsible for your own movie taste.  Used to be, you just saw what was at the theater and if it was a good theater, you had good taste.  You know?  There's almost too much choice nowadays.

(I'm not really complaining when it comes to media, but there's no bigger brainsuck for me than, say, having to choose between different brands of detergent.  Which is kind of why I like CostCo.)

[TremblingEagle]

The pirated versions of Iron Man are of pretty shitty quality so far - the best they've managed is a blurry telesync. Watching a big time movie like that in such poor quality makes absolutely no sense.

im pretty sure this is slowly happening anyway... dvd release dates seem to come closer and closer to theatre openings now (what is it now, four months?)

Going on three, yeah.

I'll speak for myself
I'm going to watch those movies that way regardless. I have no interest in sitting in a room with a bunch of rude jerks and have my ear drums blown out to get my entertainment. 

Now to the people that sell movies are you going to give me an avenue to purchase your product legally and closer to the quality you and  the creative people want? Or will you leave it to me to get it the other way?

I may be the minority opinion on this but I see thousands of other peers running down the torrent files and the streaming sites. The music industry came too late to the party and shot itself in the foot multiple times over this, I'd encourage movie people to not make the same mistake.

[Gilly]

The problem is not enough people have fast enough internet to make that profitable right now. They'd be catering to a small community. It is the future but when I live on the edge of Minneapolis and I can only get Qwest's 1.5 DSL plan because the infrastructure isn't ready yet just imagine what it's like in outstate areas. It takes me 2 hours to download the latest episode of Lost in standard definition from Xbox Marketplace. I can't imagine how long it would take to download an HD movie. I think about 10 percent of the country (at most) is ready for high quality digital downloads.