Theaters without Movies: The Wave of the Future

A couple of news stories this week have caught my attention because of they indicate that that old media is finally giving in to new media. First off, Warner Brothers has announced that it is launching a Hulu-like site for its properties like Veronica Mars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, One Tree Hill, The OC, etc. (/film). The site will be ad-supported like many of the network sites, but it is also providing a way to search shows not only by title and season but by theme and keyword. For example, you could search for the word “Spike” within Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it will bring up all the episodes that deal with the character Spike. This new service will also provide mashable downloads that you can post on your own site (or YouTube?).

Second of all, the makers of No End in Sight (an Iraq war documentary) are releasing the Sundance award-winning film on YouTube between Sept. 1 and Nov. 4th for free. Between those dates, all you have to do is logon to YouTube and you can watch the entire documentary for free (Hollywood Reporter).

Let the Internet revolution begin! Personally, I prefer watching TV online, when I don’t have to pay attention to time slots, or if I’m going to be home on time. And, to boot, there are less commercials, so you spend less time watching Ronald McDonald and the Geico Gecko and more time with Buffy and Veronica. And if you don’t like sitting at your desk to watch, nowadays it’s super easy to hook your computer up to your TV.

Of course, there is no word as to whether WB will offer movies on its site, but the makers of No End in Sight have offered their movie up for free. Which is probably easier to do for documentary features than fiction because of lower costs, etc. But it shows a willingness on the part of moviemakers to get their work out to the people without having to filter it through multiplexes and PBS.

Taken to its extreme, eventually there might not be any need for movie theaters. Just logon to Marvel.com to watch Iron Man 4 on the day of its release. Some might say this would be sad, and I grant that the theater experience can’t really be duplicated with a TV and a couch. But drive-ins still operate, right? Old media doesn’t die; it just becomes nostalgia.

Check out my love for cheap late-night cinema at Adventures @ the Dollar Theater. Do you want to watch movie theaters go extinct? Leave a comment below.