Let's be honest: the worst part about seeing a good movie in theaters is knowing that you'll have to wait for months on end before seeing it again (unless you want to spend another $15 on a ticket, that is). There's always that wait between seeing a movie in theaters and getting to watch it at home. There's just no escaping it: if a movie debuts in theaters, don't expect to press play for at least a few months.
However, with ticket sales on the decline, it makes sense that movie studios would start looking for an alternative. It's clear that plenty of people are perfectly happy with waiting until a movie is available to watch at home, and Hollywood has noticed. Up until now, there haven't been any noticeable changes — but if Paramount Pictures has anything to do with it, that won't be the case for long.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Paramount wants its movies online sooner rather than later — in fact, the studio wants its movies on-demand just two weeks after their theatrical debut.
And, at first glance, it's easy to see why a theater chain would be hesitant to agree to Paramount's plan. It sounds like pulling a movie out of theaters so early would be a definite loss for the chains themselves, but Paramount will actually be sharing some of the profits from online purchases (such as those made on iTunes) with the theater chains in question. That way, in case attendance does drop, the theaters won't be left out in the cold.
It's an ambitious plan, and one that may have major consequences for how people see movies in theaters. At this point, Hollywood can use all the help it can get — let's just hope that Paramount's plan works out as intended.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
