On Friday, Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh released a semi-experimental indie film called "Bubble." With a budget of only $1.7 million and acted entirely by amateurs, the small town murder mystery might have otherwise bypassed much interest by critics and the American public. But instead, this movie is making headlines by being the first reputable Hollywood film to release nearly simultaneously on the big screen, TV, and DVD.

The basic idea behind so-called "day and date" releases is to (duh) make more money. But an effort to preempt piracy is also central - if a movie is available in all possible formats at once, there's much less incentive to try to copy and sell it on the black market. There are other factors at play as well - big-screen revenues have been steadily declining in recent years, and dual ad campaigns for a theatre and subsequent DVD release are expensive, especially in light of the fact that films are generally pulling in half their revenue from DVD sales.

Will the DVD option steal the theater audience and perhaps eliminate the kind of repeat theatrical business on which the blockbuster strategy depends? Will all those 13-year-old boys who go back to see "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" in theaters again and again during its opening week buy the DVD and stay home?

The big theater chains, which already are locked in a crisis of steadily declining admissions, see the day-and-date idea as potentially the last nail in their coffin. John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners, told The Associated Press flatly last week, "It's the biggest threat to the viability of the cinema industry today."

Hollywood bigwigs are exhibiting mixed feelings about the "revolutionary" direction that "Bubble" may be taking their industry. M. Night Shyamalan, for example, has been outspoken about the importance of the movie theatre to "collective experience." People like Tim Burton and Ron Howard are more realistic about it - movies are a business, technology is here to stay. Still others refuse to talk at all.

Proof of how divisive the simultaneous release issue has become can be found in some big-name directors' silence.

Contacted by The Times, Steven Spielberg's longtime publicist Marvin Levy said, "Steven is not going to comment on this."

A representative of Martin Scorsese's said, "He doesn't want to get into the public fray."

Even the powerful Directors Guild of America is loath to take a formal position on the issue.

"It's a fast-moving horizon, and as things develop, individual directors form different opinions on how the narrowing distribution windows will affect their films reaching the audience," said DGA President Michael Apted, whose credits include the 1999 James Bond film "The World is Not Enough."

But among those who commented, there is agreement on one thing: Whether one's gadget of choice is an iPod or cell phone or something else, as technology changes how Americans entertain themselves, movies will have to adapt.

So...when can I watch "Brokeback Mountain" on my iPod?

ninjatoes

Newport, KY

August 2005

JAN 29, 2006 11:07 AM

Interesting concept. Of course, I think that people will still download as they always have. Free is still free.

Buster_Bluth

Los Angeles, CA

January 2004

JAN 29, 2006 11:17 AM

I don't know about blockbusters but I think this is great for smaller films. I live in Los Angeles so I'm lucky enough to be able to see most any film in a theatre but if you go even 20 miles outside of LA it's tough to find smaller films playing in your neighborhood.

Tangus

Winter Park, FL

November 2005

JAN 29, 2006 11:29 AM

does anyone actually ever listen to what M. Night Shamalamadingdong says anymore?

he's a joke,

m0unds

Rio Rancho, NM

April 2003

JAN 29, 2006 11:46 AM

Tangus said:
does anyone actually ever listen to what M. Night Shamalamadingdong says anymore?

he's a joke,

i suppose that's a matter of opinion, right?

I honestly don't really care what the movie industry does. If a movie interests me enough to watch it, I'd rather see it in a matinee for $4 and buy it if I enjoy it, than buy it for $16 and find out I hate it. I guess releasing it in multiple formats might help them make more money, but I don't think it'll have much if any bearing on occurrence of piracy.. it'll still be prevalent- people don't like paying for shit if they can get it for free.

grahf

New York, NY

September 2002

JAN 29, 2006 12:44 PM

Yeah, now you can just rip straight from the DVD on opening day and torrent that instead of having to suffer through camcorder bootlegs.

JimmyKitty

Oakland, CA

January 2006

JAN 29, 2006 02:25 PM

Well, it's not a simple matter of making money, as Soderbergh has said he's wants his film to be seen by as many as possible. While many of us hipsters might have access to theaters that will show small films like this, there are several regions where Bubble will NEVER be seen. Day-and-date, or not.

If he can get it to the right audience rather than hoping they will drive to the next state just to see it, then so be it. And if folks live one step short of the land of Oz, they are downloading it anyway. So, why not give them a new film experience catered just for them.

Soderberg spelled this all out on an 30 minute interview on NPR radio just last week. In short, he's just trying to find his audience and give them the avenues to view it.

He claims he's not into this for the money. It's a grand experiemnt. No name stars. No big sets. No formal script. A lot of improvised material. And partnered with Mark Cuban who owns the Landmark theater chain, Cable TV, and DVD distribution.

Soderbergh wants to be comfortable making his films without pressure. Even the quick famed studio, Section Eight (with George Clooney) will be disolved by the end of the year. Soderbergh says it's just too much work right now. He's not into all the "corporate" side of stuff, he just wants to make his little films.

He is an interesting person, and keeps his foot on both sides of the filmmaking fence. Doing Ocean's Eleven with an all-star cast and then taking that money and crafting a film with unknowns, where the lead of Bubble was found at a KFC drive through.

NinjaTech

Minneapolis, MN

November 2003

JAN 29, 2006 05:33 PM

Isn't this whole scheme the brain child of Mark Cubin or something?

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NEWS: A Burst of "Bubble"