As I was checking the weather radar this evening I noticed an ad at the bottom of the page, see banner images at the bottom of each of the images nearby. Apparently the iTunes Store from Apple will rent movies before they hit the theatre. There is a bit of a price premium, but if more than one person was going to the theatre, the $9.99 price to see it early is cheaper in most cases.

This could become an interesting play on exclusivity. The question I have is, is there a limit on the total number of households that can buy in on this deal? Some amount of exclusivity might drive word-of-mouth especially if there is a number that continues to fall towards zero as people buy the offer from iTunes.

What if people could buy in on this even after it is in theatrical release for the same price …

• Would total revenue be higher because of this unique distribution model?
• Will more seats be sold in theatres because this distribution model starts a conversation?

Hopefully this is an issue to revisit in April as the movie is in theatres.

NOTES:

Movie: Ceremony via IMDB.com

This bottom banner as was seen in the AccuWeather app for iPad on March 10, 2011.