Combating Piracy By Narrowing Theatrical Release Window

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While we are on the subject, why does it take four to six months for a movie to come out on DVD?

A key motivation for people to illegally download is the long gap between a movie's theatrical release and its debut through other channels. To tackle this problem in Australia the exclusive theatrical release window will soon begin to narrow from 120 to 90 days.
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So people actually see the movie. Why even go to the theater if the Blu-ray will be out in a couple of months.
 
just test same day release. Or accept that the market changed and maybe actors and movie companies shouldn't rake in millions and millions each for 6 months worth of work.
 
Megalith said:
So people actually see the movie. Why even go to the theater if the Blu-ray will be out in a couple of months.
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That's basically it. It's a holdover from when a movie would end up in theaters, then 6-9 months later might finally be in a rental store, then 3-4 months after that finally find it's way to a Suncoast Video or some equivalent at $25 for a VHS tape(and this was back in the '80's, so $25 was a hell of a lot) and just maybe you'd find it for $15 a couple of months after that at your local department store.
 
Megalith said:
So people actually see the movie. Why even go to the theater if the Blu-ray will be out in a couple of months.
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I think people that want to see a movie in a theater will still do so no matter how fast it is released to Bluray or DVD. Those that don't want to see a movie in a theater never will. I cannot figure out why execs cannot cater to the "won't see it in a theater" crowd. :confused:
 
Going to see big event movies on opening day was always cool ... Standing in line to see the fellowship of ghetto ring with people dressed as wizards and hobbits was great ... The new Star Wars was good for the line experience with people having light saber duels in the line ... Nothing beats seeing a big event movie with a crowd ... Smaller releases and family releases might suffer though
 
If people are willing to see someone filming a movie with a cam, then people will continue to do so for free regardless of when the movie comes out on DVD/BluRay.
 
Now that I have a Klipsch Synergy F20 and a 47" tv, fuck a movie theater. Seriously, on demand for most of it, and blue ray for the really good shit.

Last first nighter I saw was SW: EP1. Was pretty fun, but I was also like 21.
 
How many movies even stay in theaters for more than 2 months anyway? Just do same day release. I'll go see some movies in the theater even though I know I'll be getting the Bluray as soon as it releases, just because I want to see it on a big screen. For the rest, I'll just wait for the Bluray. And if it takes too long, I'll probably forget about the movie anyway.
 
Megalith said:
So people actually see the movie. Why even go to the theater if the Blu-ray will be out in a couple of months.
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If people would rather watch the bluray in their homes than go to the theater, then that means the theater business model is broken.
 
There are NO decent theaters around here so if I want to see a movie I've got to pay $15 for sticky floors, seats with screws sticking out, $8 popcorn, $9 soda, and a whole lot of jackasses talking or screaming through the movie.
So that leaves me with piracy or waiting for a release.
 
A key motivation for people to illegally download is the long gap between a movie's theatrical release and its debut through other channels. To tackle this problem in Australia the exclusive theatrical release window will soon begin to narrow from 120 to 90 days.
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This makes about a much sense as GM saying "oh, a heavy keychain might make the ignition slip out of run and stop the engine, so we're going to make the steering wheel larger."
 
SGA76 said:
There are NO decent theaters around here so if I want to see a movie I've got to pay $15 for sticky floors, seats with screws sticking out, $8 popcorn, $9 soda, and a whole lot of jackasses talking or screaming through the movie.
So that leaves me with piracy or waiting for a release.
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Come live in Colorado. The theaters I've been to around here all have had polite people, clean floors, and nice seats, plus cheaper prices. Seeing X-men on Saturday cost me $7.50 for the tickets and $10.50 for medium popcorn and lemonade.
 
For me, a movie is either theater worthy or a rental from day one. The time to disk is irrelevant. To me, the theater is an enjoyable experience, that is reserved for only select movies.

Fortunately I have a nice, reserved seating, premium theater near me. Tickets are twice as much, so I see half as many movies, but I also enjoy them twice as much as I'm virtually guaranteed no distractions.
 
If they wait too long the hype is gone. Get in people's hands while it's still in their minds. Speaking of which the Lego movie comes out tomorrow.
 
If it doesn't come out on bluray/DVD/digital or streaming fast enough, I just forget about it.

So far, I have 35 movies in my collection, almost all foreign-made films, imported. A few are collections of films I like (LOTR series).

New movies? A coupe of Pixar films, but that's it. If it doesn't show up on Netflix or Amazon Instant Prime, I'll never see it.
 
Megalith said:
So people actually see the movie. Why even go to the theater if the Blu-ray will be out in a couple of months.
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The experience. Movie audiences tend to be younger people going out with friends or on dates.
 
overclock said:
If they wait too long the hype is gone. Get in people's hands while it's still in their minds. Speaking of which the Lego movie comes out tomorrow.
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I agree.

I wonder if movie theaters selling the theatrical release DVD the day the movie comes out wouldn't work. Then they can come out with the directors cut at the usual time a typical DVD comes out.
 
kbrickley said:
Going to see big event movies on opening day was always cool ... Standing in line to see the fellowship of ghetto ring with people dressed as wizards and hobbits was great ... The new Star Wars was good for the line experience with people having light saber duels in the line ... Nothing beats seeing a big event movie with a crowd ... Smaller releases and family releases might suffer though
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ghetto ring? :p
 
Shotglass01 said:
I think people that want to see a movie in a theater will still do so no matter how fast it is released to Bluray or DVD. Those that don't want to see a movie in a theater never will. I cannot figure out why execs cannot cater to the "won't see it in a theater" crowd. :confused:
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Yeah, some movies are better in the theatre or some people simply rather watch them there... and they will!

Other people don't really like going to the theatre and rather just watch it at home... and they will!

The time between release wont change this. They should be released on DVD and theatre at the same time.

And stop all the political/licensing BS that makes it hard for companies like netflix to have access to certain movies. The more available it is, the more chances people will actually watch it legally.

They also need to cut the DRM bullshit and just allow people to download the movie as a file. You should be able to go to a website, pay a fee and download any movie you want. Heck they can throw in some kind of signature to make it so if you share it, it can be tracked, but key is, it has to be a common format that works in any OS. I bet some people would pay for this. I probably would. I like to download and have movies stored locally on my own server so they're available at any given time. This would also work well for people with low end connections. People don't want a bunch of discs or other physical media anymore, they want it on their HTPC.

If you want people to pay for your product, make it available!
 
SGA76 said:
There are NO decent theaters around here so if I want to see a movie I've got to pay $15 for sticky floors, seats with screws sticking out, $8 popcorn, $9 soda, and a whole lot of jackasses talking or screaming through the movie.
So that leaves me with piracy or waiting for a release.
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Congratulations you apparently live in a shitty area, so lets blame the movie industry on that ;)
 
90% of the movies I see I would rather see at home, as I don't have the free time to set aside based on showings (I also work nights which makes it harder), then wait in line, and have some movies at random be ruined because someone in front wants to text or some loud mouth or a kid etc etc. The times I go to the theater, are when a group of us all want to see the same movie (something that doesn't happen super often) and we all go as a group, other than that, I have no need or want to see something in the theater. I buy SO many movies/shows (and I already have prime) from amazon because I can sit down when I have time, click a button, and pay to watch a movie NOW and finish it when ever I want, if that is in one sitting or ten.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Yeah, They should be released on DVD and theatre at the same time.
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You would close 100's of theaters in the first quarter of doing so, costing thousands of jobs. Obviously you don't get it at all. Every car manufacturing plant (and I have been at 5 in 17 years) there is that one guy that has the movie to buy on Blu-ray or DVD that's illegally copied for $5. Sells hundreds of copy's off of one. What are you, Obamacare?? Lets hand all movies out for free why don't we! And before movies are too expensive, matinees are $6 by me. Americans are getting so fricken lazy, we just don't want to leave home any more.

It needs to stop with quick releases. Soon there won't be a theater and I love the cinema. Back in 1993 when I started work at a cinema, Aladdin had been there for 6 months still. Now movies are lucky to play 2 months if they are a hit.
 
SnowBeast said:
You would close 100's of theaters in the first quarter of doing so, costing thousands of jobs. Obviously you don't get it at all. ... And before movies are too expensive, matinees are $6 by me. Americans are getting so fricken lazy, we just don't want to leave home any more.

It needs to stop with quick releases. Soon there won't be a theater and I love the cinema. Back in 1993 when I started work at a cinema, Aladdin had been there for 6 months still. Now movies are lucky to play 2 months if they are a hit.
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I will say I enjoy the theory of the cinema, but I find myself less and less willing to go, except for a few movies a year. Mainly I just do not find it worth the time and cost. Mainly due to the average quality of movies. The main problem... studios demanding almost all ticket sales.(espeically for the early parts of a release) This forces all labor into the concession stand. Which causes sticker shock, combine with many not liking junk food anyways. Simply the model needs to change.

Now not everyone lives by you, nor can they go to matinees. Ticket prices have nearly doubled since about 2000 and lets be honest not all theaters are equal. Not all theater experiences are equal as well. I have had many good experiences, but I have also had ones where babies were crying, phone calls, talking, seat kicking, people who get up many times per movie, too hot, to cold, to loud, to soft, out of focus, film breaks and is unrepairable. Now as long as the good outweighs the bad people will go, but I feel it is quickly reaching the tipping point.

One also needs to consider we the number of screens has increased, the number of movies release per year, increasing ticket prices and an aging population..you have a perfect storm for trouble. (lets not forget increased productivity IE workers working harder for likely less real wages) Then you factor in the quality of home theaters and you can see why many would like to save the time and aggravation of going to a theater.

Always interesting when there is an issue it is always the consumer which is blamed versus maybe it is the rapid release schedule(combined with ability to easily get seated versus old days) alone which causes movies to normally last only 2-3 months at best. Maybe it is simply that the quality of the experiences versus home has decreased to the point where many rather just wait.
 
Were you really upset that all of the blockbuster video stores closed as Netflix gained in popularity?

If they offered same day release of new films, I'd pay full price just for the convenience of not having to drive to a crappy theater and deal with annoying patrons. It's not about laziness, it's about convenience. More and more people have home theaters now and so there's more of a demand than ever for faster home availability. Having a film available on day 18 is great. You can still have a theatrical release for those that want to go out for it and studios would make money for the convenience of delivering it to customers at home. Certainly more than they would make off of a netflix download, etc. If some theaters close, than so be it. It's an inevitability.
 
SGA76 said:
There are NO decent theaters around here so if I want to see a movie I've got to pay $15 for sticky floors, seats with screws sticking out, $8 popcorn, $9 soda, and a whole lot of jackasses talking or screaming through the movie.
So that leaves me with piracy or waiting for a release.
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And which do you pick?
 
Wrecked Em said:
For me, a movie is either theater worthy or a rental from day one. The time to disk is irrelevant. To me, the theater is an enjoyable experience, that is reserved for only select movies.

Fortunately I have a nice, reserved seating, premium theater near me. Tickets are twice as much, so I see half as many movies, but I also enjoy them twice as much as I'm virtually guaranteed no distractions.
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me too.. first thing me and the misses say when we see a trailer... "rental" or "we should go see that"

You also have one of those reserved seating leather recliner theaters? They are awesome! Makes us want to see movies more... It helps we are late 30's d.i.n.k.s with money to burn.
 
The theater is about the experience. I have no problem waiting for Blu-ray. The wait sucks, but I pay ~$60 for a family trip to the theater. $10 when I go by myself (no food or drink, as I eat before hand). I an buy a few new release Blu-ray's for that. Some movies are to be seen in theaters. Star Wars, Godzilla, ID4, etc.. The huge blockbuster action movies. But, many others are just crap at theaters. Comedies are good for date movies, but other than that, I'd never go to a theater for a comedy. I'll wait for Blu-ray release. There are a lot of times when a movie gets a lot of hype and then the theater release kills it (Adam Sandler movies lately, among others). I usually wait until those are $5-7 on Blu-ray. I wouldn't waste money on theater or new Blu-ray for those. Piracy? Not even worth that. I'd say close the window for release on those movies, while the hype is still good and the name is still fresh - get more sales ASAP before it requires a huge price drop just to move the thing off shelves.
 
I recently finished up my home theatre in my spare bedroom.... 50" Sony, check. 3D Blu Ray player, check. 5.1 surround bar from Vizio, check.

Not going to the theatre anymore and being distracted the whole time by inconsiderate and rude people... priceless.
 
Hmm I remember when you waited two years or more for a movie to come out on VHS rental then you had to wait another 6 months till you got your turn to rent it.

Kids today...
 
It's odd to hear people complaining about food and drink prices in cinemas from a UK perspective. There's an anti-monopoly law here which means you can bring in your own food and drink if you wish, though the cinemas do a roaring trade from ignorance of this or people who don't think in advance / prefer getting food there.
 
I like going to the theater, but the prices are so insane these days I barely ever find it worthwhile to go. Last movie I saw was Godzilla in IMAX 3D and it cost $17.50 per fucking ticket...not to mention popcorn and soda which were $8 and $6.50 respectively. Absolutely ridiculous.

So I guess overall I like this...comes to DVD/Blu-ray faster so I can see it sooner without forking out $50+ to go see something with the girlfriend.
 
daglesj said:
Hmm I remember when you waited two years or more for a movie to come out on VHS rental then you had to wait another 6 months till you got your turn to rent it.
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You could buy it on VHS when it hit video stores, it was just $89.95-$129.95 for the new release. For VHS... Wow. Then, it went to $25-30. And people bitch about Blu-ray prices (which are coming down finally).
 
It's amazing that theaters are still as popular as they are these days. Little things like just not being able to pause the movie when you want to, so you can't even go to the bathroom, or grab a drink, etc without missing part the movie, aren't very appealing.
 
I have been priced out of going to most of the theaters near me. If I go to either of the first-run theaters, which are 40+ miles away, I am looking at $15 - $18 for the ticket, depending on the time of day, plus another $15 - $20 for popcorn and a soda, which I do enjoy having when I'm at a theater. And that's just if I go with friends. If my wife or son come along, we're dumping $50+ for one movie. I can buy dinner at a local pub that we really like and the movie on Blu-ray for that kind of money.

When I do go to the theater now, I go to the local, one-screen theater, which only plays movies that have been out for a few weeks already. $5 to get in, another $5 gets me buttered popcorn, soda, and a couple candy bars. If we go as a family, we can watch a movie and have our goodies for like $20. There have been times when we've seen a movie every weekend there because there was a good run of films that month.

I think the release windows and piracy have less impact than they are being made out to have. Honestly, I think it is a failing of the business model that most theaters follow now that is the big issue. They have sacrificed their cash cow so now all they have left are some charred remains. Going to the local theater is like timewarping back to the early 2000s when my wife and I used to see movies regularly at the theater because we could afford to. The inflation in that industry over the last ten years is insane!

The last problem is of course that there are less movies that inspire me to see them at the theater. I went to watch Robocop with some friends because we loved the original (my wife and my son had absolutely zero interest in seeing it as well) and even for 5 - 10 bucks it felt like a stretch on the value scale, not that we were expecting anything exceptional from a remake...

Prior to that it was Iron Man 3 and a few weeks later Star Trek: Into Darkness (I enjoyed the latter so much I went back again - all you haters can just shut up ;) ). But that's how it seems to go. Maybe 2 or three times a year now I see something and I just go, "I need to see that at the theater!" Maybe it is just hazy nostalgia, but I think I remember feeling that way more in the past...
 
I love going to the theater, but i hate the douchebags who ruin the experience for me. Between the people who won't turn off their phones, the people who paid $10 to play Angry Birds on silent for the whole movie (yes i saw that happen) and the bro-force with their "witty" commentary, i only roll the dice on movies i deem as a must-see. even then i may give it a week for the douchebags to see it first so i dont have to deal with them when i do go.

if theaters would do something about the douchebags, i'd probably go more often, if not as often as i'd actually like to.
 
1) Douchebags generally only go into douchebag movies
2) Who cares if someone texts during Hangover 3
 
Megalith said:
So people actually see the movie. Why even go to the theater if the Blu-ray will be out in a couple of months.
Click to expand...

Here is the thing..that may have been true at one point, but it really isn't as much today. People who want to watch it on the big screen, are going to go for that experience. Those who aren't, just aren't. So you can either try and capture some of the demographic that will buy it if they don't have to wait so long, or lose some of them to downloading it.

It is up to theaters to step up their game to make customers "Want" to paton them, Not force it by having a death grip on their balls. Right now they are too busy trying to figure out how to keep their business model the same instead of trying to adapt to modern technology..hmm that sounds familiar..i wonder..Oh Right the RIAA has the same problem and yet for whatever reason gets far more derision here than another group doing the exact same shit.
 
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