Crowdfunded Veronica Mars movie will hit theaters and your living room simultaneously
It wasn't enough that the Veronica Mars film turned the standard studio model upside down by going to Kickstarter for its funds. Now word is that the feature length Kristen Bell vehicle will be available online to rent or purchase on the same day that it opens in 270 theaters across the country -- March 14th. Normally AMC (which owns 260 of those screens) requires that a movie not be available for home viewing until 90 days after its theatrical release, but Time Warner has found a way around that policy. Rather than doing a standard release and spliting the box office earnings with AMC, the company is simply renting out the theaters where Veronica Mars will be shown. That means that Time Warner is laying out a significant chunk of change up front to screen the film, but will pocket all of the cash from the ticket sales. That's in addition to a significant portion of the proceeds from on-demand rentals and digital purchases, which will mostly be delivered by cable and satellite providers. Don't expect this to become a standard model for movie releases, however. Time Warner views this primarily as an experiment that caters specifically to the passionate Veronica Mars fan base.
