Having tapped legendary filmmaker Woody Allen just last week, Amazon Studios is showing no signs of resting on its laurels after the company today revealed plans to acquire and distribute up to 12 original films per year before releasing them onto its Amazon Prime steaming service.
News comes by way of Variety, with the report stating that this plan will take into effect before the year’s end, and production budgets will vary between $5 and $25 million. The ambitious movement has been spearheaded by Amazon’s Ted Hope, who has experience in the medium following his stint overseeing production company Good Machine.
“To help carry the torch into the feature film world for such an innovative company is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility,” Hope said in a statement. “Amazon Original Movies will be synonymous with films that amaze, excite, and move our fans, wherever customers watch.”
One of the key hurdles that Amazon faces with this interesting new model is backlash from theater chains, who will no doubt raise their eyebrows at such a quick turnaround. Whether it’s merely a sign of the times as the momentum behind digital platforms such as Prime builds is a question we’ll leave to you. But for now, the company may find it difficult to agree terms with chains that are eager to protect the power of the cinema.
In an official statement, Amazon’s vice president Roy Price outlined the goals of the initiative, which would see these original films arrive in theaters first before becoming available on Prime four to eight weeks later.
“Our goal is to create close to 12 movies a year with production starting later this year. Not only will we bring Prime Instant Video customers exciting, unique, and exclusive films soon after a movie’s theatrical run, but we hope this program will also benefit filmmakers, who too often struggle to mount fresh and daring stories that deserve an audience.”
We’ll have much more information pertaining to Amazon‘s bold business model as we learn more, but for now, you can share your thoughts on this method of approach in the comments.
