Mired in $1 billion of debt, Blockbuster asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to let it auction itself off. After restructuring its plan to better suit creditors who were calling for liquidation, Blockbuster has been granted verbal approval by the court to go ahead and put itself on the market. The judge still has to put his decision in writing to make it official. [More]
movies
Producers Plan Movie About Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
By 3.10.11
Ever watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and think “Wow, this needs to be a movie?” No? Well, that’s because you’re not a Hollywood producer with the vision to find cinematic potential in giant Snoopy floats, shivering crowds and inane, scripted banter between bleary-eyed hosts. [More]
Disney CEO Declares DVDs Are Not Dead, They're Just Ignored
By 3.10.11
Interviewed on Charlie Rose, Disney CEO Bob Iger addressed the decline of one of the company’s former cash cows. The days of people collecting DVDs like baseball cards have apparently passed, but there’s still a little life left in the market, he says. [More]
Would You Pay $30 To Rent A Movie That's Still In Theaters?
By 3.4.11
For movie fans, there is that odd stretch of time between a film’s initial release and when it hits the DVD/On-Demand market. Maybe it’s playing in a second-run theater or maybe it’s just in limbo. Regardless, DirecTV is betting that customers would be willing to pay a premium to watch movies during that lame-duck time period. [More]
Apple Advertised In Almost A Third Of 2010's Blockbusters
By 3.1.11
If they gave out Oscars for product placement ubiquity, Apple would have taken home the prize Sunday. The company not only does a lot of product placement, but places wise bets on box office winners, beating all competitors by showing up in 10 of the 33 movies that took the top spot at the box office in 2010. [More]
What's The Best Business Movie Of All Time?
By 2.23.11
So it’s the Oscars this weekend, when Hollywood pats itself on the back for releasing a handful of movies that weren’t crappy. That started a little debate around Consumerist HQ as to what the greatest business movie of all time could possibly be. [More]
Blockbuster Tries To Sell Itself
By 2.22.11
Deposed video rental king Blockbuster filed a motion in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to put itself up for sale, starting an auction in which it already says it has a bidder. [More]
Redbox Confirms Plans To Take On Netflix In Streaming Biz
By 2.21.11
Redbox wants to be the new Netflix, and the company is stepping into the realm of video streaming. [More]
More People Stream Netflix, Fewer Subscribe To Premium Channels
By 1.31.11
There are only so many monthly fees people are willing to pay to watch movies at home, and Netflix’s options seem to be dominating those of premium channels. [More]
Movie Pirates Mourn: MPAA Puts The Smackdown On 50 Torrent Sites
By 1.31.11
If you listen very closely, you can just hear the agonized shrieks of torrent site users bemoaning the loss of their favorite movie-providing sites. The Motion Picture Association of America joined forces with Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN to shut down 12 torrent sites in the U.S. and 39 more abroad. [More]
Ebert Says 3D Will Never Work Because Our Brains Hate It
By 1.24.11
The massive 3D gimmick the entertainment industry is trying to foist on all of us is going to be about as successful as “Smell-O-Vision,” says film critic Roger Ebert. No, he’s not just just being cranky or “anti new stuff.” Rather, it’s that our brains and eyes are simply not wired for viewing an extended series of 3D images. All the technology improvements and marketing won’t ever beat biology. Here’s why. [More]
Netflix Stops Letting You Add To DVD Queue From Streaming Devices
By 1.18.11
For years, Netflix steadily made its service more user-friendly by adding devices on which it let you stream films and improving the apps that let you do so. But now the company has taken a step backward in functionality by removing the ability to add DVDs to your queue from everything but the Netflix site. [More]
Movie Ticket Sales Last Year Lowest Since 1996
By 1.4.11
Although ever-growing ticket price inflation somewhat masks the slowdown, fewer people are going to movie theaters. Sales slumped to 1.35 billion in 2010, a 5.4 percent drop from 2009 and the lowest mark since 1.33 billion tickets were sold in 1996. Revenues were still high, surpassing $10 billion for the second time ever, thanks to high ticket costs and 3D surcharges. [More]
Should Tron Guy Be Allowed To See Tron Movie In Tron Suit?
By 12.23.10
If you’re not familiar with internet legend Jay “Tron Guy” Maynard, well… that’s him in the picture. And while he’s known around the world for his handmade suit that replicates the look of the original Tron costumes, Tron Guy’s local cinema doesn’t want him wearing the suit inside the theater. [More]
TRON Preview Screening Marred By Line-Jumpers, Mean Staff
By 12.15.10
Tavie shares her first-person experience of waiting for hours in 20 degree weather to see the new TRON screening, and her run-ins with the professional line-jumpers and surly event staff. [More]
Best Buy Charges $7 More In Store Than Online For Blu-ray (Updated)
By 12.10.10
UPDATE: Reader Brian points out Best Buy’s online price was cheaper than the advertised in-store deal, and Matthew must have mixed the two up. The original post follows. [More]
Netflix Will Stream Disney Shows 15 Days After They Air
By 12.9.10
Donning a pair of metaphorical mouse ears, Neflix cut a streaming video deal with Disney that advances the service’s quest to give viewers reasons to can satellite and cable TV. [More]
American Psycho: The Musical, Coming To Broadway!
By 12.6.10
American Psycho, the dark murder-satire flick starring Christian Bale where he assumes the identity of a rival Wall Street banker and commits a series of decadent killings, is coming to Broadway! [More]
