Finding an Audience: Distribution Notes for 6/12/09

Theatrical

There’s a cool self-organized movement afoot called MobMov. Using the site – and being sure to get permission from property owners and others – people are able to organize what are being called “guerilla drive-in” experiences. Basically they find a movie, find a place to screen it and then organize people to the screening, which has the feeling of a drive-in/tailgate party mixture. Love this idea. Love it. [via Costa]

Home Video

Epix has finally launched in beta testing mode. The service is the long-gestating partnership between Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM that’s part basic cable channel and part online distribution platform, though it seems you’ll need to be a cable subscribert to access the movies online. The studios have stocked it with about 100 films right off the bat and, depending on how this turns out, more will be added later on down the road.

Theatrical-to-DVD windows have been wider in the first half of this year than they were in the same period last year, bucking the trend that’s been progressing for the last few years. Some of that is just because of how the calendar has played out but it seems that some movies that have generated long-term word-of-mouth based business at the box off, for example Gran Torino, have been delayed so they can continue to sell tickets.

Online/On-Demand

One of the new features of the iPhone 3GS (which I’m totally getting as soon as I can afford it) will be the ability to purchase and rent movies from the iTunes store directly from the device, which is kind of huge and could lead to a lot more spur-of-the-moment purchases.

Matt Dentler points to the latest story about how VOD is becoming the norm in terms of indie-film distribution. I continue to maintain that there needs to be adequate promotion of the films in relation to even this distribution in order for this model to truly succeed, but many of these studios don’t have the biggest coffers to dive into for marketing.

Best Buy has partnered with CinemaNow to make movies available for purchase through the retailer’s website as well as on specifically-marked devices sold in stores.