New movies @ home?

With
all of the continual changes in the world of video, distribution,
the Internet, DVD and entertainment, I suppose that it was
inevitable that we actually discuss the possibility of major motion
pictures being shown in your own living room home theater on the SAME
DAY as they open across the nation! That’s right, according to
the folks at EW (great story by
Nicole Sperling), Comcast, the nation’s largest cable operator, had
spoken with major film studios about offering movies on pay-per-view
the SAME DAY they hit theaters. They would likely cost
between $30-50 (think about this though, if you get 4-5 people to
chip in, it’s the same price as in theaters), but remember that you
don’t have to leave your house, park, buy overpriced nachos or have
to deal with cellular phones, people who talk and morons in general
(unless you are that very moron, in which case, this won’t help you
much).

Of course, theater
owners are “up in arms” about this possibility, but
according to EW, 5 of the 6 major studios have already partnered
with Comcast to test a separate system in two cities that allows
viewers to watch movies on pay-per-view the same day as the DVD hits
stores (Sony didn’t participate). I personally LIKE this idea. In
fact, I think it’s inevitable, but more importantly for smaller
films, a great opportunity. I imagine that all those people whose
cities were not chosen to feature “indie” films like PAN’S
LABYRINTH, WAITRESS or LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, would surely have
checked them out if they could simply sit down and watch them at
home. Of course, I’d always want to keep seeing the
“blockbusters” on the big screen (i.e. TRANSFORMERS), but
does it really matter if you check out a film like DISTURBIA at home
or in the theaters? Probably not. Anyway, that’s my 3 cents, what
think you?