Exhibitors: 1, ridiculous Comcast
Movie theater owners apparently didn't have to protest too hard to get the cable giant to back away from its plan to offer fresh pay-per-views at a mind-boggling $59.99 price point.
I had earlier given three reasons why next month's test on offering Tower Heist -- a new comedic action flick starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller -- to Comcast subscribers three weeks after its box office debut wouldn't work:
- The price is ridiculous.
- Three weeks is too late -- at that price point.
- Studio promotion won't be there, since there's no point in throwing more marketing dollars on a movie several weeks into its cinematic run.
A fourth reason killed the silly experiment before Comcast even got to test it out in two cities: Exhibitors threatened a boycott.
Several theater chains -- including Cinemark
I really can't imagine how Comcast's move made exhibitors feel endangered. Surely they must be self-conscious about their value proposition if they feel that Comcast charging $60 for a rental on a movie that's already been screening for 21 days would eat into their business. Multiplex operators are actually doing Comcast a favor by saving it from embarrassing itself here.
Release windows are changing. Movies are already hitting the DVD market sooner than they did a few years ago. We're also seeing some companies test more sensible offerings. DIRECTV
It's OK to tweak with the model, especially this year where even more screens suiting up to offer premium IMAX
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