![latest movie releases 2015 dvd latest movie releases 2015 dvd](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7c/24/a5/7c24a57b4c39a2a41cf8aecd01bd2edb.jpg)
DVD/Blu-ray distribution of movies is still a multi-billion dollar business in the U.S. So will DVDs become obsolete? Well, likely not in the near future, for several reasons. That doesn’t bode well for theaters, but potentially more concerning for DVD distributors if the DVD window does not budge.
#Latest movie releases 2015 dvd download
So the trend is fairly unequivocal: digital download is encroaching on the static DVD and theater windows. Thus far, it appears that the industry has been able to put a hold on DVD releases to protect a three-month theater window, while the digital download window has shrunk significantly during the same period.
#Latest movie releases 2015 dvd driver
The other key driver that our research uncovered is that, after more than a decade of shrinking, the DVD release window has remained stable in the last three years, at about three and a half months. Also, it makes sense for studios to sell the less costly non-physical copies, so an increasingly common practice is the so-called Digital HD window, where digital downloads and rentals are made available a week or two before DVDs. One year ago, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment President Mike Dunn hypothesized that 2014 would be the year that digital movie purchases would make up for the drop in physical sales.
![latest movie releases 2015 dvd latest movie releases 2015 dvd](https://d3tvwjfge35btc.cloudfront.net/Assets/65/847/L_p0049384765.jpg)
But even studio executives are speaking to the digital change.
![latest movie releases 2015 dvd latest movie releases 2015 dvd](https://www.filmandtvnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/home.jpg)
It’s easier for Amazon, iTunes, and other digital players to press the pedal for earlier movie releases, since they do not have the pressure that studios have to cater to theater owners. In fact, two of the five best-picture nominees released in digital were released on Amazon before the broader release to DVD and other digital outlets like iTunes. Amazon recently announced its intent to invest in movies to be released on Amazon Prime just one or two months after theater release. The pressure is also coming from digital distributors anxious to monetize this demand. The sequel of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will be released simultaneously in IMAX theaters and Netflix in August, which will satisfy three market segments: movie-goers, home viewers, and on-the-go viewers. Savvy film producers and distributors are wising up and adjusting accordingly. Another driver is the demand for content anytime, which is too often fulfilled during the theater window by pirated-versions of movies in the absence of a legitimate digital version. One key driver is the strong demand for content anywhere, due to the proliferation of mobile devices. To put things into perspective, it is worth examining the drivers. Of the eight movies nominated for best picture, seven movies have been released or have a set date to be released for digital download ( Birdman, The Theory of Everything, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood, Selma, Whiplash, and The Imitation Game). Many industry experts had predicted that digital would become a more prominent channel for film distribution, but what’s striking is the speed at which it is taking place: it took more than 10 years for the DVD release window to shrink by half to where it is now, yet it only took 3 years for the digital download window to shrink by almost two thirds (see graph).Īnd the trend does not seem to let down. A three-year research project with my colleagues John Mooney and Marlene Biseda at Pepperdine University shows how digital has become, if not king, then at least prince: In early 2012, movies were available for digital download about 9 months after theater release on average, but movies released last summer were available for download 3-4 months after theater release, roughly at the same time as DVDs. But as with many other industries, the internet has turned that distribution model upside down. Under the traditional film distribution model, the primary channel has historically been the movie theater, and for the last few decades DVD distribution has been a profitable secondary channel.