Following the success of their TV pilot program (thanks in no small part for Transparent‘s success at the Golden Globes), Amazon Studios is entering the film fray, but in an opposite manner than what most may have expected. Whereas Netflix has entered the film industry with a model that will premiere their films through their service, Amazon Studios will acquire film properties with intentions of distributing them through theaters with films appearing on Amazon Instant a few months after their theatrical releases.
According to Variety, Amazon Studios plans to produce around 12 films a year, with the first films under the new directive debuting later in 2015. The model will be similar to the ones other independent studios have followed (like Magnolia and IFC) where films would be available on VOD at the same time as their limited theatrical release dates. However, given the growing nature of the film industry and how important box office sales are, most theaters might balk at the idea of even screening Amazon Studios films under this model, which in turn would severely limit the potential of Amazon’s growth in this field.
The venture is ambitious, especially with the notion of a film being released every month in a calendar year, but Amazon could find success. Given the success with their TV series, they have a formula for finding the proper projects to fund that could yield a positive outcome with their film venture.
[via /Film]