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images/news/generic.jpgJackass 2.5 from Paramount is believed to be the first studio-backed feature film to premiere online, and will be streamable for two weeks completely free of charge.
The Jackass movies essentially add a slightly larger budget to the MTV gross-out comedy clip show, stringing together a series of sketches into something of an anthology film. The 2.5 edition, which mixes new material with outtakes from the 2006 movie, reportedly cost a meager $2 million to produce.
From December 19 to January 2, Paramount will make the movie available for free in its entirety as an online stream with commercial pre- and post-rolls. After that, the film will be available for download on iTunes, Blockbuster's MovieLink, and Amazon for between $12 and $20 USD. There will be a subsequent DVD and pay-per-view TV release as well.
In a strange way, this "upgrade" edition may have been released just right. It was cheap to produce, its presentation is akin to that of viral videos, and the franchise, while not exactly a box office smash, has enough of an audience to drive traffic.
This release model could prove to be a successful alternative for lower-budget filmmakers, and actually be the next step for the direct-to-video niche market.
BetaNews
The Jackass movies essentially add a slightly larger budget to the MTV gross-out comedy clip show, stringing together a series of sketches into something of an anthology film. The 2.5 edition, which mixes new material with outtakes from the 2006 movie, reportedly cost a meager $2 million to produce.
From December 19 to January 2, Paramount will make the movie available for free in its entirety as an online stream with commercial pre- and post-rolls. After that, the film will be available for download on iTunes, Blockbuster's MovieLink, and Amazon for between $12 and $20 USD. There will be a subsequent DVD and pay-per-view TV release as well.
In a strange way, this "upgrade" edition may have been released just right. It was cheap to produce, its presentation is akin to that of viral videos, and the franchise, while not exactly a box office smash, has enough of an audience to drive traffic.
This release model could prove to be a successful alternative for lower-budget filmmakers, and actually be the next step for the direct-to-video niche market.
BetaNews
