$1 DVD Rentals = The End Of Movies???
That's what one study is proposing.
In these tough economic times, there are folks who just don't have the disposable income to rent a flick from Blockbuster. Thus, the supermarket DVD Dollar kiosk arose, and companies like Redbox banked on your semi-empty pockets to bring you entertainment for a low price.
However, their generosity is costing Hollywood a bundle. No, sorry - A BILLION!
The study, complied by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp, has concluded that the dollar DVD rentals from Redbox and others have cost the entertainment industry $1 billion to date and will continue to have a "ripple effect," causing the studios to lose more money and more hired help. Basically, without the revenue from rental sales, a decline in film production will soon have to follow. Thus, more jobs will be lost.
Because of this new information, three major studios - Universal, Fox and Warner Bros. - are in a legal battle with the Redbox DVD rental company. They are eager to prevent their DVDs from making it into the kiosks, while Redbox is countering them lawsuit over "antitrust violations."
Here's a crazy idea - how about you stop paying celebrities EXUBERANT amounts of $$$ to be in movies?
You could save a TRILLION right there if you cut back on that!
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if celebrities and all the rest of the show business people weren't so bloody greedy it wouldn't cost so much to make a fucking movie. stop paying show people like they are saving the planet.none of them are worth it.
amen. redbox is so worth it.
*sigh* exorbitant
A dollar would buy ten copies of your latest book.
WOW! For once, a post on here that actually makes a lot of sense. I'm fucking shocked.
It's too little, too late. Redbox and Netflix have already run video stores into the ground, movie studios are just going to have to deal with the fact that there's no money left in rental sales!
"Exorbitant." The word you meant to use was "exorbitant," not "exuberant." The money they pay celebrities isn't joyously happy, its excessive.
RIGHT ON WITH YOUR SUGGESTION PEREZ
They should be happy people are willing to pay for movies at all with the internet.
The star's salaries need to come under control definitely.
I think you mean "EXORBITANT"? : j
Redbox should go out of business
Well a little money is better than no money…who wants to spend $4-6 on renting a movie when you can get them for $1? With this economy, I think Hollywood need to shut up and deal with it. It could be worse for them….people can spend nothing, then what will they do?
Yes, great idea Perez…stop paying celebs huge amounts of $$ to be in movies. After all — those hollywood libs who supported Obama should be ok with redistributing their big pay days to help the others in the industry. Redistribute the wealth!!
FINALLY, Perez makes an ounce of sense!
I haven't walked into a movie theater since "The Reader" was out last year.Screw the stupid red kiosk and blockbuster I watch brand new movies on the net all the time.I recently saw "Precious","Anti-christ" and "Zombieland"on the net and liked all 3 movies but i was really glad Hollyweird got zero dollars from me!
What a ridiculous story in that yeah, as consumers we don't want to have to pay $5 for a movie we will watch once and then return. We might as well go to the actual movies and pay the $10. To try and take away something that works so well for us in this economy is just ridiculous. For once (and once only…) I agree with Perez and drop the salaries for these overpriced actors since its so ridiculous the amounts of $ they drop on them and sometimes its totally not worth it.
A lot of stores that have those kiosks are actually getting rid of them.
"Exuberant." Really? Why don't you try exorbitant. Better yet, why don't you stick to using words you know, rather than try to make yourself sound a whole lot smarter than you really are. Idiot. I know Perez didn't write this. His ESL ghost writer did. Her writing is so easy to pick out. ALWAYS misspelled words and bad grammar.
$1/night x 3 nights = $3. That's the same as what everybody else charges. I don't see the BIG difference. Why blame Redbox for being more efficient at decreasing costs, and they offer the Blockbuster hits that DVD renters want? Wal-Mart cuts costs too, they're still in business.
Um.. this is ridiculous… Those movies were bought and paid for by the company that is renting them… the studios aren't losing money, they're just greedy.. it's no different than allowing your friend to borrow dvds that you own…. They need to stop being so damn greedy
For once, I agree with you. Nobody and I mean NOBODY is worth what celebrities get paid for a mere few weeks or months of work. Some of them even have the nerve to complain about it. I know I rarely go to movies any more, as I can't afford it and I never buy the food. Almost more fun to stay home and rent.
WHY WOULD THEY CUT BACK ON THE PAY OF ACTORS WHEN THEY DESERVE IT?!?!?!?
I THINK YOUR JUST MAD BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO GIVE YOUR SORRY ASS A DIME
YEA, MOVIE INDUSTRY SHOULD BE MUSIC BIZ. PAID BASED ON SALES AND ROYALTIES. IF YOUR FLICK SUXX, PAY BACK THE DIFFERENCE IN ADVANCES GIVEN AND IF SUCCESSFUL YOU GET BONUSES ON TOP. THERE, PROBLEM SOLVED… THAT SHUD RID OF EXORBITANT SALARIES.
the movie industry really has to move with the times a bit. while theyr pissing about with 3D all they could make my dreams come true by letting us rent nightly over the internet. i want to be able to go online, pay for any movie i want and watch it on my computer screen.
I love REDBOX!! There is no reason to pay more than $1 or $2 to rent a darn movie! And like Perez said, stop paying celebrities millions of dollars!!
With these hard times who would blame anybody renting a movie for $1 freaking dollar. Besides most of the movies today aren't as good as they use to be anyway so atleast I don't feel bad about wasting one dollar rather than four. Hollywood needs to change their greedy ways and understand that the people are not going to just throw money at them like they do to their actors.
can anyone believe nicole kidman makes $20 million per movie…. she sucks
Hey all you A-holes! read the story!!! If Hollywood has to layoff a bunch of people, that means less movies will get made. I work for one of the studios' home entertainment departments and we are all looking at some severe layoffs this holiday season. Not fun. What if it was YOUR spouse, YOUR kid, YOUR parent getting laid off in an industry that won't be hiring again anytime soon. We aim to provide everyone with the best entertainment out there so that we can all escape from the sucky reality of life.
Now, I agree that many stars and many top studio execs get paid way too much. I'm a lowly employee who drives a freakin' Saturn that I worked HARD to pay for. But many studios have rejected top stars for movies because of their studios…and they are constantly looking at new ways to cut costs without having to cut employees…but the bottom line is that FREE movies or $1 rentals are ridiculous! a $3 rental sounds very reasonable to me…as someone who is not wealthy. Redbox is killing our industry and everytime I see someone at one, I want to let them know how many people they'll be putting out of work! And it won't be the stars and execs who suffer unfortunately. Just regular hard-working people like me!
exuberant can also mean excessive/abundant. it doesnt just mean 'enthusiastic'. dumbasses.
I TOTALLY AGREE, PEREZ!!!! They need to stop paying these actors so much money!!
You said it, Perez. Those greedy celebrities could use a little cut in their pay. I mean, I'm PRETTY sure they could survive…might have to cut it back to having 4 Ferraris instead of 5, but you know…you gotta make sacrifices sometimes!
i can understand why they are suing. It kinda reminds me of the napster thing.
WHO CARES?
celebrities need to stop demanding such outrageous salaries to work in a movie and producers need to stop accommodating. There is a lot of pork spending in movie production that could be cut.
I'm happy RED BOX and Netflix exist, who wants to pay 4 bucks for a movie that 50% wasn't even good or should have been made
Re: scarlet13 – yea i agree some are paid too much….but i have no problem paying $3 for new movie. That's what most cost where i live. i don't blame them for suing; people are losing money and not just celebrities. reminds me of napster all over again.
Re: scarlet13 – Who you calln an a-hole?I hope you don't lose your job,I really don't want any regular joes to lose their jobs but when i hear that Ashton Kutcher gets paid more than ten bucks to make a flick than I turned my back on Hollywood and it looks like alot of other people feel the same way.hang in there I'm sure you'll be o.K..It could be worse ,you could live in Michigan!Our unemployment is the highest in the country.I know about a dozen friends that had been laid off for almost a year!
The actors and actresses get MILLIONS, it's fucking pathetic if they stop making alot of movies, celebrities need to stop being so fucking greedy!
How much money is enough for these studios? Don't they make enough $$ when the movie is released? Will they need a bailout too??
Redbox rocks
exorbitant
Re: scarlet13 – You can't blame everything on the Red box sales. Like another was saying, they have BOUGHT the movies to provide for us..hence the lower rental rates. The bigger problem is the greed in Hollywood and the salaries, and big budget production costs that break a bank and the movie then doesn't make enough to cover it., Don't blame all of Hollywood's problems on people that use the red Box. That's very short sighted of you and very Hollywood like.
Everyone in Hollywood is so ridiculously overpaid, they could stand a few cutbacks. Unfortunately, it's probably going to start at the bottom. The industry needs a change = /
Perez, there's a first for everything and I think I
RedBox will win this. The Studios will spend so much money fighting this. I thought one of the studios recently tried something like this against redbox and lost
Red Box has bankrupted so many small town movie gallorys and blockbuster….call me old fashion but I like going into a store and browising….going down the asiles and having the option to get a new release or an older movie its just so nice to take your time and enjoy the whole experience. In conclusion I hate Red Box!!!!
Perez, there's a first for everything and for once I agreed with you on an actually serious topic. Know this is a celebrity blog site obviously. But yea the companies need to stop for one also, stop relying on an oligopolistic market and improve your damn business- same for the airlines instead of what Perez is saying continually paying high amounts. I would think obviously the studios set the price (probably an exchange back and forth between lawyers and shit etc.) but seriously if all studios followed suit legally if possible and lower their payments and actors just might have to come to a new profound realization that their job doesn't save the world and are way over paid. A cardio vascular surgeon at least in Minnesota makes roughly 450-500k starting. And these monkeys recite lines and practice- and some have great talent but there are MANY reasons people call it Hollyweird and many people over the world feel the exact same. Ha.
I agree! I literally have only went to Blockbuster once since Redbox came out (because Four Christmases was sold at at every single one!) ..Redbox is awesome and worth every penny!
I don't give a fuck if people who are payed crazy amounts to make shitty movies lose their job. Good.
I was actually thinking this as I was reading: Here's a crazy idea - how about you stop paying celebrities EXUBERANT amounts of $$$ to be in movies?
I know so many teachers, social workers, nurses, and other people who pour their heart and soul into their jobs, do a wonderful job and try to make a difference with whatever resources are available to them yet celebrities make a ton of money and most do not do any good in the world or make any effort to do so. It's ridiculous.
it all comes down to where it's cheapest…and if it's gonna cost less to get it from redbox which is also more convenient then sorry but i am not going into blockbuster to pay more than i have to
For once, I agree with you, Mario!! If they weren't paying actors and actresses millions PER MOVIE, they wouldn't have to cry over movies being rented for $1 each…I don't rent any, so it doesn't effect me, either way…but I know lots of people who do… They should've done this a LONG time ago…
For once, I actually agree with you, Perez. Why are these celebrities getting paid SO MUCH money? It's not like they contribute anything to humanity like doctors and scientists. They should get the same amount of money like every normal working people.
Good! Finally something for the consumer that is fair without continuing to rip us off
Ok, even though you used exuberant incorrectly, You said something smart for once. We need to stop paying so much money to celebrities. How will Angelina and Brad have support children in other countries? Maybe, this is just a thought, we could keep that money here in the United States.
oh b*tch b*tch b*tch "Don't download our movies! But, don't legally rent them with RedBox." F all of you greedy b@stereds!
I don't really see how the movie companies have a case against Redbox. I don't pay anything for my DVD's, I check them out of my local library for free. Some libraries charge a small fee for movie check-outs. Support you local libraries!
They could also stop making shitty movies and actually hiring good cast and crew in order to not wasting millions of bucks in a movie that's gonna bomb
If the studios made movies that weren't so disposable, maybe people would be more willing to shell out more to see them on DVD.
This is absolutely ridiculous! Movie studios make billions of dollars each year and they can't offer middle to low class people $1 movies? The greed that the elite of this country has makes me sick. People are going to continue to see movies in theaters as well as buy them on DVD which means all those studios will continue to make loads of money. I think they can afford to rent a movie out for a dollar a day. I mean shit, it only takes about $1 to produce a DVD anyways.
Re: scarlet13 – Wow, you still have a job? That's really awesome, I am so happy for you. I haven't had one since April and am about to lose my house…that dollar rental is the only entertainment my six year old gets some nights.
Re: scarlet13 – so don't go calling anyone else an asshole and go spouting out of your fuckhole before you truly think about the statements that put out there into the universe.
And perez…you are such a reet…learn how to use your words properly.
Amen to that! I LOVE RED BOX!!!! F the movie producers that pay no talents like Jessica Simpson millions to be in crappy movies! The actors are WAY over paid - just like Tiger Woods. It is about time they quit paying actors ridculous money.
Scarlet boo hoo hoo. Maybe it is time to work in another industry. Most films have crappy scripts and rob US of good money. The only films I go to see in theaters are EPIC ones like the Titanic - because you need a good screen to see them - but most movies are crap anyway and do not deserve the ticket prices they charge.
Amen!
I rarely agree with Perez/Ghost Writers, but the entertainmant industry, including athletes, MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY.
No human being is worth those exorbitant salaries!!!!!!!!
Maybe if they didn't pay every actor(ess) hundreds of thousands of dollars it wouldn't matter. Or maybe if Blockbuster didn't start such a high price on movie rentals from the start Redbox wouldn't be getting so much negative feed back. Just a thought…
FUCK REDBOX…if u fuck wit them then make sure u watch how they charge u cuz they have charged me multiple times for 1 dvd….then get an attitude when u call n question it
i totally agree with this. i only goes to the movies 1-2 times a year. but i rent movies from Redbox or watch them for free online at least once a week. i saw New Moon online for free just 2 days after it came out. why spend $9 on a ticket and a ton on a flat coke and stale popcorn when you can spend 10 minutes in your computer and find movie streaming free online?
i hope the studios win the lawsuit!!!!!!
Re: tigrrrlilly – Re: Nommykins – AGREED!!!!
Exuberant?
Perez… I liked you better when you were real.
FYI - In my neck of the woods, RedBox raised it price to a whopping 1.50 a night! WOO HOO!!
kinda funny coming from a blogger who is practically kissing the highest paid actress in the business. You would be generous too if you were making over 100 mill a year. Mother Teresa never got paid anything and was giving back at a young age. She was the generous one.
I've never rented from that little vending machine. I have a subscription to NetFlix and if I want rent a new release and don't feel like waiting then I go to Blockbuster. I guess I'm the only one?
You got it P! Hollywood should stop paying tens of millions for one stinking celeb to star in a film. If those ppl didn't make so much money, they wouldn't be off in OTHER countries spending their wealth there and stimulating another country's economy. Keep the stars on a leash & make them earn their vaca's & mansions like everyone else. They get other perks as it is & would continue to. So they really wouldn't be losing too much, just some pride. Eeeek!! The horror!!!
Re: scarlet13 – You don't like where your industry is going? Then get in a different line of work. You don't want to? Then STFU and roll with the punches like the rest of the country. Jobs are being lost in every field. Get over yourself.
I completely agree with this. Celebrities should not be treated like demi-gods simply because they agree to show their face on screen. There are people who work endless hours on minimum wage and they get THOUSANDS for just appearing for thrty minutes. All that money can go to a MUCH more valuable cause than their gucci bags and fancy cars.
Re: scarlet13 – Welcome to the real world. It's economics. Supply and demand. Hollywood needs to suck it up just like the rest of us. What? Are you guys going to go on strike? Boo-hoo!
Right, uh, the studios are really having a hard time. Counting their money, that is. They keep posting how this is a record breaking year for profits. The indies aren't doing so well, but they've already been screwed by the big ones before Redbox. Franky, $1 is about what most of the movies these days are worth.
You are SO right, Perez! We don't need rich actors. We can feed the orphans ourselves. I'm a little fed up by rich people using their means to make people believe they are angels. No: the system is corrupt. You are rich for being overpaid. Period. Same for doctors.
the movie industry will never lose money in a down economy…americans need distractions from the miserable economy…so we watch rent buy movies…video games….music….books…this was why the whole movie industry in the 30's became big business in the first place because of the depression….history will always repeat itself…learn from the past…
This machine cost $1.00 per day. I do not have to time to watch a movie in one day and then drive back to the Redbox to drop it off. Blockbuster and or other movie rental retailers give you 2 days to watch new releases and a week on .99 movies and then drop it off. By the time I fool with Redbox from day to day I am spending as much as going to Blockbuster. Think about the gas and wear and tear on your car and the stress of making sure you watch the damn thing. Think about it…You want to see this movie really bad but something happens Tuesday than Wednesday than finally Thursday at 8p.m. you can watch it but a damn ice or snow storm comes in. (would happen where I live) Hello it's gonna cost you $4.00 now. This is not the end of movies. Just another Netflix in the making and it will be hot for a while then it will be out like a light!
Got to agree with you there.
Such a great idea Perez!! Why do they get so much anyway? They're just acting…and as a former theater person, I do fully understand the mental and physical strain it takes to really act. But come on, they could totally pay them like $1 million instead of $20, or $500,000 even. I could totally be fine with that if I were an actor!
I don't use redbox, but I do use NetFlix. Love it! Why would anyone rent movies? It's sooooo expensive! I get unlimited movies, tv shows, and viseo games for $10 a month. I can stream right from my xbox, ps3, and computer as well. LOVE it
Somehow I'm not very sympathetic. They might want to start with the ridiculously inflated salaries many actors, producers, agents, etc. make. We think millions are fine to pay someone to star in a movie, and a teacher makes close to nothing?! It's not right. They need to face facts that the Redbox is the wave of the future. The music industry fought iTunes/downloading of singles initially, and look where it got them.
Re: gimlet123 –
Have to agree completely.
There are very few movies I would pay to see in the theater. Taking the family to the movies is not even an option. Nor is a date night when you factor in a sitter.
For me, the grocery store is 2 minutes away so a return trip is no big deal.
Would love to see reasonable prices come to OnDemand on set-top boxes like tv, but the studios aren't in favor.
i really don't care, and i'm glad for redbox. hollywood is greedy, most of the stuff made lately is pure SHIT. a lot of those actors are overpaid because they seriously lack talent (megan fox for example).
Re: scarlet13 – if they simply stop paying sorry-ass actors so much money, they could afford to pay the people who work behind the scenes. please name 3 actors/actresses who are actually worth their salary.
Then your ass would have nothing to report on Perez cuz they would probably disappear into this low life we peons call reality and become commoners that actually have to work for their money just like the rest of us!
Come on now. Let's be realistic and not blame all of Hollywood's problems on Redbox. Redbox is NOT the same thing as Napster or downloading movies from the internet. Consumers pay to rent from Redbox - albeit a low $1 rate - but they still PAY. America is a capitalist system. Companies consistently try to undercut each others rates to get the most business (just take a look at the book wars taking place between Walmart, Target, and Amazon). It's the American way.
Hollywood execs need to do what every other business in America is doing right now to keep a profit and save employee jobs - they need to cut back on the insanely large budgets that they use to make these movies. Be creative. There are many movies that get made for far less than 100 million and actually make a profit. Stop with these big budget movies that more often than not, turn out to be major flops.
I HAVE THOUGHT THIS FOR YEARS..starving kids all around the world..and even down teh street from us and they pay them 20 million for a fucking movie!! CRAZZZY!!! maybe america should stop worshiping ppl who act and sing..and get their priorites in line!
Re: id1976 – Really? Is life so stressful that renting a movie has THAT much wear and tear on you and your vehicle?
Come off it, you sound ignorant. Renting and watching a movie is not THAT damn complicated. You're one of those people who makes mountains out of molehills, aren't you?
AND cut down on the price of movie tickets!
Sorry, Scarlet13, but I think the industry is in transition. Because of the free internet downloads and advanced software that allows novice or professionals with cash flow problems, to produce great movies without studios; it's all gonna be changing. Fat bloated industry like movie studios and the music industry, to name a few, are becoming irrelevant, at least in the same capacity that they were in the past. So you need to "NOT" put your head in the sand and really open your eyes. You can't stop the "speeding train" of progress. Start to diversify, so you won't be left out in the cold, scratching your head!!!!! Best of luck!!!!!
I agree with you… hell I'd make a movie for $5K. Sports people and movie people need to look at reality and see that Americans are tired of supporting their lavish life styles and then not paying taxes???? I have never tried the Redbox, I get my movies FREE at the local library. Let them bitch about that!
Very well said Mr. Perez.
Actually…how can they complain that they are losing money….Blockbuster has had $1 rentals on their new releases for the past year, the redbox just constitutes an easier way for most to obtain the dvds….not everyone has a blockbuster around the corner but everyone has a grocery store or convenient store around the corner….are they going to pull their movies from Blockbuster too?
YOU GO BID RED BOX!!!! STOP PAYING ATHLETES AND ACTORS TO DO WHAT THEY LOVE TO DO ANYWAY. IT IS ABURD. I am so broke I can't pay attension. A $100,000. dollars would compleatly change my life and my childrens too. Will someone adopt me? Oh thanks Pres, Obabma that $250.00 buck payed off a few disconnect notices.
I worked for a movie/book/music distribution company for almost 9 years. Over those years I saw the decline of sales and customers. When I first started working there the industry was making the slow switch from *rental* priced VHS to *retail* priced DVD. The customers were leery at first for numerous reasons, but they were also getting into an arena they hadn't been into before. Making money off of DVD rentals. As a distributor that meant less money for us as well. But lo and behold DVD sales picked up, more businesses purchased them, and it seemed on the right track.
Then came Netflix. With the popularity of sitting at home, not having to leave your house to pick up a movie, it was a stellar idea. It also closed down a lot of small mom and pop shops that had been open for years. I can't even begin to count the number of customers we lost due to this. And now Redbox is cutting into Blockbusters (brick and mortar and online) and Netflix's business. I live in a major, metropolitan city and every single Blockbuster that I know of is gone. And before I was laid off, it seemed Netflix was hurting too, but they might have bounced back up with the live streaming business they have going now.
*Continued-But does it all matter when we have access to free movies, music and books online? No. A lot of people don't want to buy anything anymore. They want it for free and they're going to get it because it isn't hard to find on the internet.
And does it affect the overpaid actresses and actors? Most likely not. Tom Cruise will still probably get paid $20 million a picture. I bet you will never hear him say, "No, I don't want that kind of salary, I'm thinking of others who have to feed their families, etc."
The greed of people will never go away, whether it be Mr. Big-Hollywood-Actor or the people that refuse to actually purchase something legally.
BTW, I supported the genre and bought a non sale-priced CD at Target today.
No the movie industry is not losing money because the rentals are $1, they are losing money because people do not want to pay $30 for dvds. Local rental places charge $3 for 3 days here so the profit is the same since Red Box rentals are $1 a day. If you do not take the movies back by 9pm, your credit card is charged again. The movie industry is bitter because they did not think of this first. I actually love Red Box. I rent my movies online, swipe my card at the kiosk and my movies are dispensed. No browsing stores just to find the movie I wanted is sold out.
Re: scarlet13 – My spouse or myself will never see $20M in our entire life and could live off one check of that amount until we die. Getting laid off after making a bank like that from multiple movies should set these actors up for life so I do not and would not feel sorry for them if they take a pay cut. It's called money management and if these greedy folks can't make what millions they have work, that's their own fault. Not ours for renting $1 movies.