Weinstein movies only at Blockbuster
TEXT OF STORY
SCOTT JAGOW: You’re probably familiar with Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the movie-producing brothers. They founded Miramax and made a long list of films like Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting, Chicago. Now, the Weinsteins are on their own and they just announced an exclusive deal with Blockbuster. Ashley Milne-Tyte has more.
ASHLEY MILNE-TYTE: The Weinsteins hope the terms of the deal will make it worth limiting themselves to one distributor.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Gregg Goldstein says Blockbuster will not only showcase Weinstein Company rentals, but also run clips from current theatrical releases in stores. In return, the chain’s hoping to draw some exclusive foot traffic.
GREGG GOLDSTEIN:“If someone’s looking for the next Quentin Tarantino movie and they know they can only get it at Blockbuster, they will go there.”
For Blockbuster, the deal is also a leg-up in their ongoing battle with rival Netflix. Still, entertainment journalist Dade Hayes says success depends on one questiona€¦
DADE HAYES:“Whether there’s gonna be a real home run title that’ll make it all worthwhile.”
He says the brothers have yet to score the kind of hit they enjoyed at Miramax.
In New York, I’m Ashley Milne-Tyte for Marketplace.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
