What, do you think we’re made of money, dude?
Now, this isn’t anything new. The last film I saw in theaters before the Pandemic lockdown was THE INVISIBLE MAN, starring Elizabeth Moss. I enjoyed the thriller and recommended it to my parents, but was not aware that its price on video on demand was $19.99. I thought it would be $10 at the most – like the price of a movie ticket at the theater (yes, I know tickets in NYC are close to $15). Since then, I’ve seen that many new films were priced in that range since all the theaters had closed down.
In this age where many people are unemployed, and struggling, it seems like more affordable rates – like $9.95-$14.95 - for films like BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC would not only be a nice gesture, it would mean bigger profits as more people would be likely to order them up.
In early June, a comedy entitled THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND, starring SNL’s Pete Davidson, was released via video on demand for $19.99. I find Davidson funny, and wanted to see the picture, but not for that price. I doubt there were many others that shelled out for it either. It’s now available for around $5.99, so I bet that fans of BILL & TED will just wait a bit for a likewise more reasonable rental price.
This bugs me as I think the folks in charge of what rents for what price are missing an opportunity to build an audience for new VOD titles with less pricey programming. Are there really enough folks, even hardcore fans, willing to pay $24.95 for the third go-around of BILL & TED to make it a big hit? I doubt it, but I could be way wrong. I just know that I’ll probably wait, and may rewatch the originals in the meantime since it’s been decades since I’ve seen them.
I just can’t bring myself to spend that much money for a rental, even if it’s a movie I’m highly interested in. Can you?
Now, this isn’t anything new. The last film I saw in theaters before the Pandemic lockdown was THE INVISIBLE MAN, starring Elizabeth Moss. I enjoyed the thriller and recommended it to my parents, but was not aware that its price on video on demand was $19.99. I thought it would be $10 at the most – like the price of a movie ticket at the theater (yes, I know tickets in NYC are close to $15). Since then, I’ve seen that many new films were priced in that range since all the theaters had closed down.
In this age where many people are unemployed, and struggling, it seems like more affordable rates – like $9.95-$14.95 - for films like BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC would not only be a nice gesture, it would mean bigger profits as more people would be likely to order them up.
In early June, a comedy entitled THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND, starring SNL’s Pete Davidson, was released via video on demand for $19.99. I find Davidson funny, and wanted to see the picture, but not for that price. I doubt there were many others that shelled out for it either. It’s now available for around $5.99, so I bet that fans of BILL & TED will just wait a bit for a likewise more reasonable rental price.
This bugs me as I think the folks in charge of what rents for what price are missing an opportunity to build an audience for new VOD titles with less pricey programming. Are there really enough folks, even hardcore fans, willing to pay $24.95 for the third go-around of BILL & TED to make it a big hit? I doubt it, but I could be way wrong. I just know that I’ll probably wait, and may rewatch the originals in the meantime since it’s been decades since I’ve seen them.
I just can’t bring myself to spend that much money for a rental, even if it’s a movie I’m highly interested in. Can you?
More later...
1 comment:
I really did want to see this.....but like you said, at that price, I can't.
What are they thinking???
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