Piranha Bites First !

'Piranha' Bites First With Day/Date Release

Premise: With ever better home entertainment systems (including 3D) for the first time, this weekend, the Theatre-only release window is shutting as the Weinstein Company's Piranha 3DD is being released at both cinemas, cable/satellite TV and internet video on demand on the same day.

Dimension Films (owned by Weinstein) stated that the film was going to be offered on VOD for $6.99
($7.99 for 3D version) starting Friday with purchasers having 30 days to watch it.  The movie will also be rentable through Amazon Instant Video, Facebook, Google Play/You Tube, iTunes, Xbox Live, and other internet outlets. 

These days, for movies to go wide release (say over 1,000 cinema screens) requires a huge marketing budget and the studio needs to create brand awareness for the movie - that is why the studios love franchise films, and make endless numbers of sequels and remakes.  Don't forget, when a film is based on a comic book character, top-selling novel or play, the marketing is built in.  But for the average film the going is very tough particularly if there is no 'star' power.  Thus the day and date release strategy, which you will be seeing more and more - as the big money lies in the cable and VOD 'box office'.

However, the Piranha's  across-the-board release is the first by a major studio.  Remember last year as Universal attempted to release Tower Heist in VOD just three weeks after the theatrical release and was threatened with a boycott of the film by several exhibition circuits.  But for Weinstein, the Piranha 3DD strategy makes sense.  A sequel to Piranha 3D, released in 2010 to an underwhelming cinema box office, 3DD will probably double its production cost by going with  same day cinema -TV-internet release. And expect more of the same from studio/distributors in the future.

This day-and-date release scenario was predicted in this blog two years ago, to much ballyhoo and "no/no' finger pointing but now it has come true. 5 to 10 years from now, most movies will be released in this fashion.  It makes economic sense for the content providers to go 'really wide release' with their products and they will.

Best and Happy Movie Going!
Jim Lavorato