Sony Pictures has pioneered a new model for marketing films, bypassing big theaters and instead looking to a startup and streaming services to distribute the movie that sparked an unprecedented North Korean cyber attack.
Reversing its decision to pull the plug on distribution of the satirical comedy “The Interview,” which depicts a group of young guys trying to assassinate the North Korean dictator, Sony this week turned to a streaming startup called Kernel, as well as Google and Microsoft, to show the film. (It’s nice to know that Google and Microsoft aren’t afraid of the North Koreans. Not Apple, which reportedly passed on distributing the movie through iTunes.)
The film costs $5.99 to rent and $14.99 to own an HD copy. The monetary success or failure of this effort will be watched closely by everyone with a stake in live-streaming video.
Kernel runs seethe interview.com, which is just what it sounds like: a portal for buying and viewing the movie. Kernel was a virtual unknown until a few days ago, but Sony tapped the company to distribute “The Interview” because they were already working on a pilot project with the startup to promote and distribute films differently. Both companies have taken the opportunity to lift the curtain on their project for “The 5th Wave,” a screenplay due out in 2016, the first in a series of books about a teenage girl fighting against the end of humanity.
Kernel’s role is to pre-sell exclusive, behind-the-scenes content such as bonus downloads, VIP experiences and tickets to “The 5th Wave.” Packages go all the way up to $1,000, which includes two tickets to a yet-to-be-scheduled movie premiere.
With an entire subculture of movie buffs, it’s a wonder we haven’t found a better way than overpriced tickets and popcorn to monetize the industry. Kernel and Sony may be onto something.
YouTube, Google Play and Xbox have all begun distributing “The Interview,” along with some small independent theaters such as Apple Cinemas near Fresh Pond in Cambridge.
I got to have my Christmas viewing of “The Interview” after all, and if enough people do the same, Google and Microsoft will become a much more viable option for movie distribution in the future.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1B8M5sn
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