MOVIE TO OPEN ON FACEBOOK AND THEATERS ON SAME DAY

For the first time, Facebook will stream a movie online on the same day that it opens in theaters. The movie, Marley, a documentary about the late reggae singer Bob Marley, will be available for a rental fee of $6.99 beginning April 20th. Theater owners by and large have opposed such “day and date” releases, […]

TWO MOVIES RELEASED ONLINE BEFORE THEATER DEBUTS

Theater owners have yet to react to a report that both Amazon and Google are currently offering Magnolia Pictures’ The Hunter for streaming, ahead of its theatrical release on April 6. The report appeared Friday on Home Media magazine’s website, which also reported that Google is currently offering Lionsgate’s Dark Tide, which doesn’t hit theaters […]

MARK CUBAN: INDIE CABLE NETS BEING SQUEEZED OUT BY CONGLOMS

Increasing demands by the broadcast networks for “retransmission consent” compensation are making things ever more difficult for independent channels to land cable outlets, according to Mark Cuban, who owns HDNet — the home of Dan Rather Reports — and HDNet Movies. Cuban, in an interview with TheWrap.com, noted that the major media conglomerates have traditionally […]

MAGNOLIA PICTURES OFFERING VOD ON SAME DAY MOVIE DEBUTS

Mark Cuban’s Landmark Theatres chain does not seem at all concerned about movies becoming available for video-on-demand at the same time they’re in theaters. One of the reasons may be that the chain is a corporate sibling of Magnolia Pictures, also owned by Cuban, which already has offered to allow cable and satellite companies to […]