CINEMA - USA: Hollywood films never sold so well overseas

Hollywood is making the case that the growing popularity of U.S. films in China is a boon to both countries.

Interesting comment from one of our readers on digital film distribution: I distribute films and did so for a major studio for some years. Not an exhaustive answer but here are a few things at work in no particular order. The delay for video rental after the theatrical release is because the exhibitors (movie chains like Regal) insist on not having their business encroached by the home video market.

The rise of big data is taking hold in Hollywood. Studios are becoming more and more reliant on consultants to make decisions at every point of production.

Roeg Sutherland, co-head of the film finance and sales group at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), will be a panelist at the Zurich Film Festival’s Film Finance Forum on September 22. When it comes to investing in movies, the prevailing wisdom is that it is a risky venture where flops outnumber hits. But Sutherland says the transforming media landscape has extended the business life cycle of films, ensuring that a feature can make money years after its box office release.

Indonesian movie lovers are being starved of the latest Hollywood blockbusters by a drawn-out tax dispute which has led US studios to boycott the country in protest.Since the Motion Picture Association (MPA) stopped distributing films to Indonesia in February, cinema takings have tumbled as theatres try to fill the gap with local fare and B-grade foreign films dug out of the rejects bin.Everyone is losing except the sellers of pirated DVDs, who are enjoying a spike in sales.

Two Hollywood studios will soon launch an on demand service. It will allow consumers to get new films less than two months after they're released in the cinema.