In Mr. Wagner’s estimation, the way the movie business works now — a staggered system of release “windows” that begins with a theater engagement and ends with network television or cable — is not only choice-dampening (“like hearing a song on the radio and having to wait three months to buy the CD,” he says), but wasteful, too.
Why not cut out the middleman, Mr. Wagner asks? Why pay to advertise a movie more than once?
To allay exhibitors’ fears, Mr. Wagner cites the example of the black market for DVDs in Russia. Up to 99 percent of DVDs there are pirated and yet the Russian theatrical market has never been stronger, he claims.
“People will always want to go to the theater. It’s that communal experience.”
If my friends and I are any indication, Mr. Wagner could not be more wrong. With home theatre the way it is, I have several friends who ALREADY refuse to go to movies. I am not much better. While I am not overtly hostile to going to movies like my friends, I don’t go nearly as often as I used to, and I am quite happy to sit at home with my own widescreen and surround sound.
Otherwise, Mr. Wagner has some pretty good ideas.