Blockbuster will be featuring the second sequel to Jackass The Movie, Jackass 2.5, on their website. The streaming video will be free to users for a certain period of time. Viacom, the owner's of the MTV movie, decided to forgo a theatrical release. This is probably due to the fact that the first sequel was in theaters only about a year ago, and they didn't expect as much in box office sales. The first two Jackasses did well at theaters, but bootlegging has now become an issue in the movie industry. Jackass 2.5 avoids the problem of piracy by allowing viewers to watch it for free. So how are the two compnaies making a profit? Viacom's sold the rights of Jackass 2.5 to Blockbuster for $2 milllion, and Blockbuster is relying on advertising to gain it back and then some.
I think Viacom and Blockbuster have came up with an excellent idea. Many of Jackass's fans are into the web and user-generated content. Allowing users to stream the movie for free reduces piracy, and really gives a boost to advertisers who want to reach the specific target market of teenage boys. Expect to see plenty of advertisements for energy drinks, video games, etc. This is also the first time in history a movie will be premiered online. It's really an exciting concept and I'm looking forward to seeing the results. Will more movies premiere online? Chances are, long big budget studio movies will not be moving online anytime soon. However, this could be a huge benefit to smaller, indie flicks.
Article retrieved on December 14th, 2007 at wsj.com
Viacom Looks for a Web Kick by Sarah McBride
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