Dreamworks CEO Wants Movies Buyable Three Weeks After Release

Jeff Katzenberg wants movies out of theaters and on your phones and tablets in less than a month.

Former Disney exec and current Dreamworks CEO Jeff Katzenberg knows a thing or two about the picture business (said Devin as he twriled his old-timey mustache). So his vision to bring movies from the big screen to your various small screens in three weeks time shouldn’t be taken lightly.

During a talk at the Milken Global Conference (quote via Variety, Katzenberg laid out his movie math. “I think the model will change and you won’t pay for the window of availability. A movie will come out and you will have 17 days, that’s exactly three weekends, which is 95% of the revenue for 98% of movies. On the 18th day, these movies will be available everywhere ubiquitously.”

Different screen sizes get different prices, so Die Hard 12 would cost $4 for your TV, while Star Wars: Episode X would be $1.99 for your smartphone or tablet.

There is the occasional The Dark Knight- or Avatar-level blockbuster that can make serious money past the third weekend, and I think those movies would continue to be in theaters past the 17th day.

But it’s all still in the thought stage for now. No distributor has signed on for this process, so it could take a while before any sort of three-week window is put in place.

Would you be interested in such a process? Or do you like the theater system the way it is? Let us know on the forum.