DJariya

There's been discussion whether or not Premium Video on demand works or whether it is going to gain traction since many theatres are closed due to the Pandemic?

This is pertaining to 1st run major studio releases. Not the shitty Lionsgate, Grindstone B or C titles that star Bruce Willis or Aaron Eckahart that usually cost $6.

So, do you support it or is it simply too expensive for you because of the price point? Or do you simply not value movies with this kind of pricing?

Mulan kind of started the discussion with the $30 price point, but in the end it was deemed a failure by many in the industry because of the price and of course the movie was later pirated as well.

Some people, including me, are very used to subscription VOD, so paying that much per title is not something I regularly consider doing.


What was the last PVOD title you paid for? For me, it was Bill and Ted Face the Music. I paid $25 to own it on 4K UHD. While the movie was fun, I think $25 was a little too steep for it. I doubt I will watch it again anytime soon. If I would have seen it in the theatre, I would have used AMC A-List.

I also paid $25 for the 4K UHD version of Scoob! early in the pandemic and I quickly regretted that one as the movie was just okay and it appeared on HBO Max a few weeks later.

I ended up paying for them because theatres were closed and I really wanted some fresh new theatrical content. And I chose to pay for extra money to own it than just rent it.


Greenland is supposed to come out this month on PVOD. I do want to see it, but I know it's coming to HBO Max in 2021, so I don't know if I really want to splurge or just wait.

fujishig

20 to 30 for a rental? No. I will consider 20 to 30 for a rental and then a digital copy once it's released elsewhere (and not tied to a single service either).

Defiant

Almost all VOD I've purchased has been under $7 and nothing more than $10. But then, I don't watch many new movies, and those I do I can usually wait to watch since I've got a big VOD and DVD library (+ any streaming service I'm subscribed to)

DJariya

And FYI, these are currently some of the notable new PVOD titles out right now at $20 or more. The Informer is actually rental or purchase.

Let Him Go

Freaky

Wild Mountain Thyme

Come Play

The Informer

Ammonite


And most of them are Universal titles that are in the 17 days after theatres window.

Half Brothers and All My Life are two more Universal titles that are going to PVOD in the next few weeks as well. They are currently in a short theatrical run in the very limited theatres that are open.


I would never pay $20 to rent something like Come Play or The Informer.

I do want to see All my Life, but I'll wait until that hits Red Box.

dex14

Nope. All that have been this price are ones I can easily wait for a lower price.

DJariya

Oh yeah the last PVOD title that I did rent was Spell, the Omari Hardwick horror movie. But, that 4K UHD rental was only $9.99, which was reasonable.

If more PVOD titles were priced that way, I would consider renting more.

Decker

I did pay $20 for a PVOD rental of Kind of Staten Island and also did Bill & Ted ($22 purchase instead of VOD rental but basically the same thing). Both times it was more a case of really missing and needing to watch a new movie rather than thinking I was getting good value.
Now that HBO Max is giving a theatrical movie every month, it's a bigger hurdle.

That said, I would pay $30 for No Time To Die. Don't think I would for anything else.

Eddie W

I would pay $20 to own, but never to rent. My rental price point tops out at $10. And that's for something I really, really want to see. Even $6 is too much for most of the dreck that comes out these days.

Giantrobo

Nope. $20 is too much for a rental. I can wait for a price drop. Hey, I get it...people gotta make their money... but I'm not obligated to be that cash cow.


< waiting for the lecture posts about why we should support this.

TheBigDave

I don't rent movies. I only buy. And I don't mind paying extra for a premium new release if I really want to watch it. Especially if it's MA and/or 4K.

I would have paid $25-$30 for the new Wonder Woman flick. I didn't buy Mulan because it was locked to Disney+. If it was 4K MA, I probably would have paid the premium price.

TheBigDave

I agree. I'd pay $20 (maybe $30) for a rental if I also owned it when regular release was available. Consider it a pre-order with a 24-hour rental period. I don't know why they aren't doing this.

mwbmis

No, if it's just to watch it at home I'll wait till it's cheaper or on one of the many streaming platforms that I already pay for. If it is something I really want to see/own, I might buy it at a higher price point, but that wouldn't be over $14.99. As an example, I waited until Bill & Ted 3 was $10.

Mike86

If I’m buying then I don’t mind paying between $20-$25. If it’s a rental only, no thanks.

TomOpus

That price point would make me possibly bite. For $20, or more, it had better be a super summer tentpole movie.

Bluelitespecial

No, I'd rather support local movie theaters and its cheaper to buy a movie ticket.

DJariya

https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/...ngbird/1589695

Songbird, the brand spanking new COVID-23 virus movie, is officially out for rental today for $20

Anyone planning to rent it?

PVOD....it's the future.

jpcamb

Not a fan of paying more than 5-7 bucks to rent a movie. I can easily wait for most movies to come to some sort of streaming service for free.

jpcamb

that is a hard pass. Also, it has a 5.0 on IMDB so there is that too...

AaronHernandez

I suspect outside of kiddie fare and tentpole franchises the $20ish buy numbers for 99% of films will be anemic as most adults don't have the watch a film asap mentality and just wait for most movies on netflix/hulu/hbo etc or even 5 dollar rental. The older you get the less of a big deal of waiting months for something is.

leacha

Depending on the movie and situation (family, friends, holiday gathering) it would get my $$$ for a rental. The double, triple, quadruple dips on a purchase as technology movies forward has turned me off of buying. The supposed LOTR sets next summer may still real me in for my first UHD for a purchase. That would be a triple dip for me. 😕

davidh777

I wouldn’t have minded paying the $20 rental fee for Emma, Antebellum, and Mulan but I made the mistake of asking my household for opinions and got the thumbs down. The D+ reports/rumors around the last also were a factor. I’d totally have done it for Wonder Woman but now don’t need to.

Stuff like You Should Have Left didn’t seem worth it to me so I waited for regular rental.

Sonny Corinthos

No, I will never pay 20 bucks to rent, only to own.

Groucho

Never done it, but I don't mind it. It's still cheaper than taking the family to the theater.

However, having to pay a fee AND subscribe to a service (Mulan)? No way.

DJariya

Raya and the Last Dragon is going to be on Disney + Premiere Access in March like what they did with Mulan, but it will also be in theatres They are not giving it for free like what they are doing with Soul on Christmas.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/10/...cess-streaming.

I suppose this is also going to be a big no from most of you to pay for it on Disney +. If theatres are open in my area in March, I'll be seeing it there. No price point has been announced.

and I'm not surprised by the responses so far in the poll. A DVD message board that looks for cheap bargains mostly thinks $20 or more rentals aren't worth it..

DJariya

This news was dropped yesterday. Since HBO Max is not in Canada, WB is releasing WW84 on Premium Video on Demand.

Twitter

I don't know how much Canadians get charged for 1st run digital rentals. I suppose it will be at least $20-25 CAD.