Regal Cinemas is offering two digital download-to-own movies to own for an extra $15 for patrons to “Transformers: Age of Extinction” at its theaters. What is the fourth “Transformers” sci-fi yarn will premiere June 24 via Paramount Pictures (the $15 VOD offer ends July 10).
“For only $15 more (on top of a regular cinema ticket), guests get a Super Ticket including two digital HD ‘Transformers’ movies,” says a Regal press release. “Guests have their choice of a Digital HD copy of any of the first three ‘Transformers’ movies, plus they get to own the Digital HD copy of ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ before the Blu-ray™ release.” The Regal PR effuses this is “an offer that truly re-invents the experience for movie fans”—which is a bit much since not much changes for patrons inside theaters.
The bundle offer continues Hollywood’s push to foster electronic sell-through where consumers own electronic versions of movies. This is more expensive than on-demand rentals (where the electronic copy disappears after 48-hours or streaming that is contemporaneous one-time viewing). Hollywood’s movie economics weakened when sales of physical DVD sales went flat because the offset of video-on-demand rentals is less lucrative on a per-transaction basis.
In December, Regal mounted a $40 Super Ticket program “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which bundled a HD video-on-demand version of the same film and a standard def VOD copy. “The Hobbit” is a Warner Bros. release. The $40 price included a cinema ticket.
The “Transformers” offer seems to offer more value—a lower price even when adding a $9 or so cinema ticket and two on-demand movies.
“Forbes” journalist Scott Mendelson is not impressed: “Unlike the Paramount ‘Super Ticket’ or ‘Mega Ticket’ events associated with Brad Pitt’ ‘World War Z’ and ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,’ there is no advance screening associated with the offer. There is also no additional ‘swag’ (meaning gift merchandise) or really much of anything with which to highlight the theatrical experience itself. Conversely, 20th Century Fox’s very successful ‘The Night Before Our Stars’ event two weeks ago offered the very first paid screening of ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ and a simulcast interview package with the cast and crew of the film along with novelist John Green. All that plus a poster and a charm bracelet was yours for $25 a pop. What’s being offered this time around is just a little disappointing.”
Regal, of course, is the nation’s largest theater circuit with 7,349 screens.
Author’s post script in 2020: this 2014 story shows how Hollywood tried to goose consumer takeup of electronic-sell-through video by bundling EST with cinema tickets, but this did not catch on.
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