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News Analysis
Why
Dish Shouldn't Be 'Passionate' About This Movie
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (April 28, 2011) --
Dish Network today is proudly boasting that it will air the
movie Passion Play on VOD on May 6, the same day it will
air in the movie theater.
The satcaster's announcement seems designed to diminish
DIRECTV's launch last week of 'Home Premiere,' a VOD service
that offers movies 60 days after their theatrical release. The
Home Premiere lineup includes Cedar Rapids and Just Go
For It; both films cost $29.99 each.
However, before Dish tries to crow too loudly about Passion
Play, the company should be more upfront about its new VOD
offering.
For starters, other TV providers are expected to offer
Passion Play the same day it's available in the theater.
While DIRECTV has yet to make an announcement, it wouldn't be
surprising to see the nation's largest satcaster air the 'same
day' Passion Play as well.
Second, while Cedar Rapids and Just Go For It will
never be confused with Oscar nominees, they stand head and
shoulders above Passion Play. The latter film, which
stars Mickey Rourke as a struggling jazz musician and Internet
sensation Megan Fox as his 'angelic' girlfriend, is reportedly
so bad that it almost didn't make it to a movie theater.
Image Entertainment, which is distributing the film, was
planning to release the movie straight to DVD/Blu-ray. However,
it reportedly decided to release it in a small number of
theaters after pressure from cast members.
Megan Fox and
Mickey Rourke in Passion Play.
Rourke apparently was not one of the cast members who encouraged
the studio release; the temperamental actor has publicly trashed
the film and his co-star, Ms. Fox, although he tried to soften
his criticism in later interviews.
So, bottom line: Offering Passion Play on VOD on the same
day it will play in a movie theater is hardly a special treat
for the Dish audience. (The HD version of Passion Play
will cost $5.99; $4.99 for the SD edition.)
"DISH Cinema
offers our customers the hottest
Hollywood
hits, and we're thrilled to deliver 'Passion
Play' in HD on the same day it's available
in theaters," said
Dave Shull, senior vice president of
Programming for DISH Network.
If you say so, Dave.
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© TVPredictions.com
______________________________________________________
Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com.
He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast
outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York
Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial
Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can
be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com
or
at 703-505-3064.
Click TVPredictions.com to read
more news and features on TV technology.
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