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Size will really matter in the future… when it comes to paying for movies

Published Apr 30th, 2014 4:42PM EDT
How to Watch New Movies on Mobile and TV

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The movie industry is slowly moving to a different business model, Variety reports. DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said during the Entrepreneurial Leadership in the CorporateWorld panel at the Milken Global Conference in Beverly Hills that in the future, display size will impact the cost to consumers when it comes to watching new movies.

According to the CEO, moviegoers will “pay by the inch” when they watch movies 10 years from now, suggesting that mobile devices will have an even more important effect on how studios will launch and distribute new feature films.

“I think the model will change and you won’t pay for the window of availability,” Katzenberg said. “A movie will come out and you will have 17 days, that’s exactly three weekends, which is 95% of the revenue for 98% of movies. On the 18th day, these movies will be available everywhere ubiquitously and you will pay for the size. A movie screen will be $15. A 75” TV will be $4.00. A smartphone will be $1.99. That enterprise that will exist throughout the world, when that happens, and it will happen, it will reinvent the enterprise of movies.”

The CEO also said that “movies are not a growth business,” which is basically the reason why DreamWorks is also exploring new interests, including shortform, digital and television.

A report last year revealed that Netflix is also considering launching new movies on the same day they’re released.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.