Related Articles
It used to take months for movies to make their way from the cinema to your home. Now, that wait could be as little as one week.
Foxtel and Dendy on Thursday announced a partnership for the “near simultaneous” release of feature films. You’ll be able to see a raft of “niche feature and documentary films” in any Dendy (or partner cinema) around Australia and then download the title the next week through Dendy Direct or the Foxtel store.
The first movie to get the week-later turnaround is the Bryan Brown-led “Australia Day,” which will hit cinemas on Sept. 21, before becoming available on Sept. 27 as an “Express from Cinema” title in the Foxtel Store and on Dendy Direct.
It’s a big deal for the cinema industry, which has long held on to its theatrical release windows as a way to squeeze the maximum revenues from a movie title, before customers are able to access it more ubiquitously through home entertainment.
That said, the fact the initiative is rolling out with “niche” content in the first instance means it could still be a while before you see the next blockbuster rushing into your home from cinemas. And the language around Foxtel and Dendy’s joint statement on Thursday’s news shows the cinemas are still keen to keep some of that exclusivity.
“The growth of digital adoption provides a significant opportunity for on-demand delivery to add real and sustainable value to the content ecosystem for filmmakers, exhibitors and consumers, whilst maintaining theatrical exhibition as the ‘gold standard,'” the joint statement read.
Star Wars at 40: Join us in celebrating the many ways the Force-filled sci-fi saga has impacted our lives.
The Smartest Stuff: Innovators are thinking up new ways to make you — and the world around you — smarter.
