Apple today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes Store on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios. Movies purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod with video, iPhone, Mac or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV, with new releases priced at US$14.99 and most catalog titles at $9.99.
“We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, in the press release. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”
New releases available for purchase on the iTunes Store this week, concurrent with their DVD release, include “American Gangster” and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Other popular titles now available for purchase include “Juno,” “Cloverfield,” “I Am Legend,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”
The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over six million songs, 600 TV shows and over 1,500 films including 200 in stunning high definition video (HD titles available for Apple TV only). With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as new iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.
Movie purchases and rentals from the iTunes Store for Mac or Windows require iTunes 7.6.2, available as a free download immediately from http://www.itunes.com/. iTunes movie purchases and rentals require a valid credit card with a billing address in the country of purchase. iTunes Movies are available in the US only and are $9.99 for library title purchases and $14.99 for new release purchases and $2.99 for library title rentals and $3.99 for new release rentals, and high definition rental versions are priced just one dollar more with library title rentals at $3.99 and new release rentals at $4.99. Short films are available to rent for 99-cents. Movies can be previewed, purchased and watched on iPod classic, iPod nano with video, iPod touch, iPhone and on a widescreen TV with Apple TV.
Apple’s iTunes Store just got that much better and, if they keep this up, Steve Jobs’ little “hobby,” Apple TV, isn’t going to be just a hobby anymore.
As Ballmer once said: “Rentals, rentals, rentals, rentals, rentals, rentals, rentals, rentals…..”
Movie studios, 999 times out of 1,000 I will rent your movies and not buy them. Unless you price your movies for purchase at $3.99, I will not purchase your movies. Period. Please make your rentals available on first day, same as purchases.
You can buy gobs of movies at Movie Stop for less than $10 as long as it’s over a year old. Sure, they might be used but I’ve never had any problems.
Heck even Walmart is selling repackaged ‘Collections” like Die Hard or Jurassic Park for much less than $10 a movie.
Did this happen behind Wal-Marts back?