So, two big studios (so far) are to release films on VOD on the same day as the theatrical release.
Others will surely follow...
What does/might this mean for writers?
The prospect of a big hit with some healthy back end will fall away...as will residuals to large degree.
Will the demand for spec scripts rocket, like in the glory days of the VHS/DVD boom.
If they are to focus on VOD then they're going to need a lot more content?... and fast?
Do smaller, independent movie theater chains benefit from the closure of the big chains.
Do story lead movies see a resurgence?
Since movies began, there was always something lurking in the dark that was gonna kill the movie business...
First it was sound, then color. Not too far down the line would follow TV, which in a couple of decades would facilitate home video and dvd, in turn creating multi million dollar markets for the pirates.
Then along came this noisy brat called Netflix, closely followed by multiple other prospectors panning for gold in 'them thar hills'.
None of it really had an impact, but this feels nasty - like a slow motion death knell that cant be silenced.
It all makes sense from a numbers game.
They can make a decent indie movie for $20m, but in an age of multi platform media, cant figure out how to market it for less than $40m.
So, if you can just use your (incredibly accurate) data from your platform's subscriber viewing habits and tailor movie production and direct advertising to the end users why would you wanna split a percentage of the profits with movie theaters and front ALL of the advertising and marketing costs when you can just throw it on the screen next time they sign in.
I guess what I'm asking is, is it a good/great time to be writing specs again?
Forgive my ranting, grammar and typos - it's very late here and I have been enjoying Friday evening...so to speak.
