Tower Heist is the first film to be trialled in a new service that lets families watch new release films in their lounge. Photo / Supplied
Movie studio Universal Pictures and its new parent, cable TV giant Comcast Corp, will try giving US film buffs a chance to watch a movie that's still in theatres from the comfort of their living rooms.
But the price tag for a single movie could have consumers spitting out their popcorn: US$60 (NZ$78).
The test involves Tower Heist, a PG-13 rated comedy caper starring Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller due out on November 4.
Subscribers to Comcast Corp's digital cable service who have a high-definition TV and live in Atlanta and Portland, Oregon, will be able to rent the movie starting from November 23 and watch it unlimited times in a 48-hour window.
The test is available to about 500,000 people.
The cities were chosen because they are Comcast markets in which a significant number of people pay for digital cable and an HD channel package, a requirement to participate. Such services combined cost about US$60 a month.
The two cities' residents also regularly go see movies in theatres, making the cities perfect petri dishes for testing whether people take up the offer without cutting back on theatre-going.
The idea is to target families who might pay just as much on tickets, popcorn and a babysitter, but have chosen not to because they'd rather stay at home.
Studios are looking for ways of generating new revenue as DVD sales sag but want to avoid hurting box office revenue. The test includes copy protection measures so it doesn't end up spurring a new wave of piracy.
Offering the watch-at-home product so soon after a movie's release will allow customers willing to shell out the money to take part in whatever cultural zeitgeist the film creates. The price is close to what sports fans have paid to watch exclusive live boxing or mixed martial arts matches at home.
"This experiment will allow the two companies to sample consumer appetite for this film in this window at this price while allowing the film to achieve its full potential at the box office," a Universal spokeswoman said in a statement.
John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It's not the first such experiment and it won't be the last.
Earlier this year, several studios, starting with Sony Corp offered movies for rent to DirecTV subscribers for US$30 (NZ$37) in a 48-hour window 60 days after they were released in theatres.
Movies usually take much longer to get to the home market - on average, a little more than four months - and people can rent those via set-top boxes for about US$5 (NZ$6.40) apiece.
The earlier test at DirecTV, dubbed Home Premiere, created a backlash from big-name directors like Michael Bay of Transformers and James Cameron of Avatar who felt it would jeopardise theatre-going.
The economy itself might be to blame for this year's declining box office take. So far, attendance at US and Canadian theatres is down 5.4 per cent, and ticket sales revenue is down 3.4 per cent at around US$8 billion, according to box office tracker Hollywood.com.
US spending on renting and buying home videos, including paying for subscription services like Netflix, was down five per cent in the first half of the year compared to a year ago at US$8.3 billion, according to the studios' Digital Entertainment Group.
Check out the trailer for Tower Heist:
- AP
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