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 January 1, 2006 Bypassing the TheaterLast month, I described the coming (maybe) world of digital movie presentation in theaters, and the distribution of films to those theaters by digital means. Now, it seems, there is a trend toward marketing movies in ways that ignore theaters entirely, and allow selling directly to viewers. For those of us who live far from major downtown centers and must rely on our local megaplexes, this may be great news. According to a New York Times story, a company called ClickStar wants to offer downloads of films on the same dates as their theatrical releases. One of the principals of ClickStar is actor Morgan Freeman, who, according to the report, says that "the industry practice of showing feature films in theaters first, then selling them later on DVD, was outdated." He says that, with new advances in digital filmmaking, customers will demand better access to movies. Another approach is taken by IndieFlix, based in Seattle, which will take your order online, burn the film on DVD, and deliver it, for $9.95. The report adds that "many in Hollywood smell opportunity, particularly since Apple’s Steve Jobs, an industry outsider, announced he would offer some television shows and movies on the video iPod." ...Ian G. Masters
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