Miramax
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AOL bringing Miramax movies to its online video platform
AOL doesn't just want short clips of newsy content on its online video platform, AOL On. That's why the company (which, disclosure, owns Engadget) has signed a non-exclusive deal with Miramax to screen some of its movies on the service. The first flicks from the agreement will go up on April 30th, with "tens" of films from the catalog being made available on a rotating basis each month. Neither company was ready to disclose what particular titles we could expect, so while most of us are hoping to catch Clerks, Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction for free, don't be surprised if they wind up being the lesser lights contained on this list.
'From Dusk Till Dawn' TV series is a Netflix original -- but only outside the US
Director Robert Rodriguez is expanding on the story and characters first seen in his cult classic From Dusk Till Dawn with a new TV series, but that's not all there is to it. Here it's the debut original series on Rodriguez's new El Rey Network on cable, but outside the US Miramax has cut a deal with Netflix giving the streamer exclusive rights to all ten episodes. That means this time around Netflix will follow the weekly episode release schedule (like it did with Breaking Bad) instead of bingeing House of Cards-style, bringing new episodes within 24 hours of the US broadcast everywhere except Latin America. The US premiere is March 11th, while in Latin America it will premiere March 19th, with weekly releases after that -- in an unrelated note, Canada's Trailer Park Boys are returning with a whole new season on Netflix later this year. A renewed Miramax has been a big player in streaming, making an initial US deal with Netflix in early 2011, followed by another one for international streaming rights in the same year. Since then, it's also opened its vaults to Hulu, Amazon Prime and Lovefilm / Amazon Prime Instant Video UK. The new series is debuting this week at SXSW, and according to Rodriguez "the film was the short story, this series is the novel." We'll once again follow the Gecko Bros. as they try to escape across the border after a bank heist and make a detour to a strip club filled with vampires. It's a familiar tale, but this time shoving 10 episodes full of grindhouse-style mayhem instead of a relatively brief two hour movie -- check out the official trailer after the break for a taste.
Amazon Prime Instant Video inks deal with Miramax, lets you Kill Bill on demand
Amazon's Prime Instant Video has long trailed behind Netflix in terms of catalog size and quality, but today's Miramax licensing deal should give it a much needed competitive boost. All the art house, indie and cult flicks you've likely amassed into a cherished DVD collection -- Trainspotting, Amélie and Pulp Fiction, anyone? --- are now available to stream to any device compatible with Prime Instant Video. So if you've let your Tarantino quotes get rusty, now's the perfect time to brush up. You got that hunny bunny? Yeah, we thought so.
Tarantino XX Blu-ray set brings 20 years of Quentin, eight movies and ten discs home November 20th
If you dig Quentin Tarantino flicks, an eight movie, 10-disc Blu-ray boxed set is on the way that will probably pique your interest. Lionsgate and Miramax are collaborating on the Tarantino XX set, which captures 20 years of the filmmaker's career and includes Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Death Proof and Inglourious Basterds. Additionally, there's special collectible packaging and artwork (shown after the break, along with the press release and full list of specs) and the two extra discs are filled with five hours of all new bonus interviews, retrospectives and the like. It seems unlikely to answer the mystery of what was in Marcellus Wallace's briefcase, but it will be available November 20th with an MSRP of $119.99, although Amazon is currently listing it at $83.97.
Miramax arrives on Lovefilm to let you relive the golden age of Weinsteins
Miramax has reached a deal with Lovefilm to get its back-catalog of award-winning films available on-demand in the UK and Germany. It's an unsurprising move given the company has similar deals in place with Netflix and Hulu to let you watch classics like Pulp Fiction, Clerks and Trainspotting whenever the urge takes you. While there was no official confirmation of a launch window, a cursory check of our own account reveals that some of the titles (including Kill Bill) are already popping up on the instant service.
Miramax CEO says Apple is a threat to the music industry
Miramax CEO Mike Lang told the audience at MIPCOM that Apple is a bigger threat to the music industry than piracy. Miramax was a Disney property (of which Steve Jobs is the largest shareholder) until it was sold last year. Lang told the packed audience that "Apple is the strongest company in the music industry because there was not enough competition, and still to this day there is not enough competition. As an industry it can't then influence packaging, merchandising –- all the things that are vital." His words were one of warning to the movie industry, which he sees facing the same challenges now as the music industry did at the turn of the century. "As an industry -– the movie industry -– we have to be very cognizant of that [Apple's influence]. That's why we did our deal with Netflix, and why we also did our deal with Hulu. We want multiple players to be successful." Though his reasoning is valid, perhaps Lang should give some credit where credit is due. Apple single-handedly saved the music industry in 2003 when it unveiled the iTunes Music store, a cheap, legal way to download music instantaneously. As much as Lang wishes other companies share power in the digital music distribution scene, none of those companies stepped up to the plate to save the ailing music industry before Apple. [via TorrentFreak]
Miramax offers video rental via Facebook with iPad support
Miramax is kicking off a movie rental service that'll let you rent movies on Facebook. The Miramax eXperience app is a Facebook app that lets you browse through a starter catalog of twenty movies in the U.S. (10 in the UK and Turkey). Additional movies will be added in September. Each rental costs 30 Facebook credits (about US$3) and must be watched within 30 days of payment. Once the movie is started, you have 48 hours to finish it. There's also a social gaming component that lets you cast your friends in different roles of select movies. Besides Facebook, Miramax rentals can be watched on the iPad and on a Google TV. The iPad app is not a native iOS app, but a web-based Facebook app that has been optimized for the iPad. You can check it out here using Safari on your iPad. [Via Electronista]
Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown Blu-ray discs get release dates (again)
Yes, we've been here before, but with Miramax back on its feet and under a new distribution deal with Lionsgate we're pretty sure these new October 4 release dates for Quentin Tarantino classics Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown on Blu-ray will stick. Reportedly, Jackie Brown will be a Walmart exclusive but other than that no details are known just yet. We'll keep our eyes out for official information, but for now you can check out the trailers again after the break.
Hulu, Miramax deal means Netflix, Hulu Plus both add Pulp Fiction and more starting today
According to a blog post and press release (after the break) Hulu is bringing Miramax films to its free and paid Hulu Plus services. This is also the same day the Miramax deal kicks in for Netflix, so both just added notable movies including Clerks, Swingers, Basquiat, The Crow and Reservoir Dogs. Miramax movies on Hulu Plus are presented ad-free and in HD, just like on Netflix Watch Instantly, and both appear to have the same selection available, although one negative side effect of parity is that neither has optional closed captions on streaming for any of them. The only difference so far? Soon, Hulu will offer a rotation of 15 Miramax movies per month through Hulu.com for ad-supported viewing. While we're sure some will wait for Miramax to work through its Blu-ray release backlog (CEO Mike Lang is on it, although we still don't have a date for Pulp Fiction) it's good to suddenly see a catalog that had been locked away due to the studio's pending sale suddenly become available through so many outlets.
Netflix seals deal to stream Miramax movies, starting in June
Netflix has just gone and scooped up another big content deal for itself. The movie streaming service has tied the knot with Miramax on a multi-year agreement to allow streaming of films from the latter's extensive library. Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Kill Bill, and hundreds of others will be added to the Netflix Watch Instantly catalog on a rotating basis, starting next month. This marks the first time Miramax flicks have been available on a digital subscription service. An agreement between these two companies was last rumored in March, with a five-year term and $100 million price being mooted as the likely parameters for getting it done. Neither outfit would disclose the cost to Netflix, but the benefit to you, dear subscriber, is pretty obvious. Full PR after the break.
Netflix, Miramax reportedly close to a deal for streaming - Update: Google, Amazon, Hulu too?
We know a common criticism of Netflix streaming is that many of the movies are older (protip: of all the movies ever produced ever, the vast majority were released prior to the last six months) but we doubt anyone will complain about awesome older movies like some of those in the Miramax catalog. According to the Wall Street Journal, the two are hammering out a five-year deal worth more than $100 million for access to its catalog of more than 700 titles which could include Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, Kill Bill, and more. That could be a good take for Miramax which just recently found a new owner, and a quick boost for Netflix, which most recently had to deal with announcements that it would lose access to some popular Showtime content and experience delays on new TV shows from Starz. Still, we'll wait until after the deal is official to schedule a theme party at a throwback burger joint. Update: According to the LA Times' Company Town blog, other companies including Amazon, Google and Hulu are also negotiating for the rights. This just got very interesting.
Scream movies are coming to Blu-ray March 29
We still don't have an exact date for Pulp Fiction, but Lionsgate is wasting no time digging into the Miramax back catalog of movies and they're starting with the first three movies in the Scream series, due to arrive individually (no boxed set option) on March 29th. Each has a $19.99 MSRP and pretty standard list of extras, including DTS-HD MA soundtrack. Amazon's already offering them for a couple bucks off of that, so there's plenty of time to decide before Scream 4 hits theaters April 15th.
Lionsgate, Studiocanal to distribute Miramax movies, Pulp Fiction Blu-ray coming in June
Lionsgate and Studiocanal have signed a deal with Miramax to distribute its library of movies around the world, with Lionsgate handling things in the US while Studiocanal takes over the UK and Europe. Most specifically, Miramax CEO Mike Lang reveals in a blog posting that the first three Scream movies will be rereleased when Scream 4 comes to theaters in April, and the long awaited Pulp Fiction Blu-ray will finally be released in the US in June. All the rest of the details are in the press release after the break, check the blog post for more of his thoughts on DVD extras and the future of digital delivery -- Ultraviolet isn't mentioned by name, but clearly he thinks the digital locker concept is the future of video.
New Miramax boss makes releasing Pulp Fiction on Blu-ray a priority
Disney's sale of Miramax put high definition releases of much of the catalog on hold, so while a few snagged imported versions from Poland most US buyers have been without a copy of Pulp Fiction on Blu-ray. According to Forbes, getting the disc out and on shelves is among new CEO Mike Lang's first priorities. we thought were close back in 2009 but that didn't pan out, now that the $663 million sale has gone through, it seems increasingly likely that the gimp will return in 2011.
Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown get Blu-ray release dates
Put down that import order form Tarantino & Samuel L. Jackson fans, Disney/Miramax has apparently set a date for Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, with both coming to Blu-ray August 4. High-Def Digest notes they're tagged special editions, so in lieu of any official information about specs, extra features or price, we still expect only the best fo these long awaited flicks.
HD-DVD gets exclusive support from The Weinstein Company
Former Miramax heads Harvey and Bob Weinstein have decided to join Universal in exclusively supporting Toshiba's HD-DVD format. Our friend Warren Lieberfarb (he of the "Sony is using tactics from the Art of War" statement) is a consultant to their distribution company, Genius, so this is not entirely surprising. No word on what titles to expect or exactly when, but apparently they will probably release in summer rather than spring with the launch of the first HD-DVD players. Also, Studio Canal has pledged to release 30 titles in europe, while Toshiba is expecting more than 200 HD-DVD discs available before the 2006 holiday season. Will that be enough to stave off the Blu-ray/PS3 behemoth bearing down on them?The Passion of the Clerks, Sin City 2, Scary Movie 4, Michael Moore's "Sicko", all on HD-DVD only apparently.
