JACKASS - JACKASS MOVIE GOES STRAIGHT TO THE WEB

JACKASS MOVIE GOES STRAIGHT TO THE WEB

Marking what today's (Thursday) Hollywood Reporter described as "a radical departure from the traditional movie business model," Paramount is planning to release Jackass 2.5, the latest sequel in its successful franchise, on the Internet first, then offer it on DVD -- skipping a theatrical release altogether. "It's the first broadband movie ever distributed by a major studio," Thomas Lesinski, President of Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment, told the Associated Press. Disney said that while the film will be initially available free over a two-week period beginning December 19, it will then move on to pay-per-view platforms, including Apple's iTunes store. The Reporter depicted the online release as a test of the Internet as a legitimate outlet for original film distribution. It commented: "When all is said and done, 2.5 could end up a milestone in Hollywood's transition to digital media or an overly ambitious mishap."

13/12/2007