Kevin Smith announces new 'Red State' plan, DVD/Blu-ray in 2011
Posted Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 11:57 AM Central
by John Couture
Kevin Smith is becoming known these days for breaking down the old establishment and doing things his way, so it should come as no surprise that he's at it again with his latest film Red State.
Earlier this year, Smith bought back his own film for $20 after Red State's Sundance screening and announced that he was foregoing the traditional theatrical release for something a little different. What followed was a limited Red State tour in which he charged a premium price for a ticket to see both the movie and have a live Q&A with Smith himself.
The Red State tour was aimed at die-hard fans of Smith and his podcasts and we were fortunate to attend the show in Indianapolis (you can read about it here). Kevin Smith announced today via his Plus One Per Diem podcast that not only was the tour a smash hit, but when its success was combined with the foreign distribution and home entertainment deals, Red State was already in the black.
Not one to simply pat himself on the back and rest on his laurels, Kevin Smith announced a new theatrical release strategy that is completely novel. Under the new plan, Red State will debut on Video on Demand (VOD) over Labor Day weekend and be available for two weeks thereafter for "like $10."
While studios are tinkering with the idea of "Premium VOD," it really hasn't gotten the traction that they were hoping for. I'm sure the $30 price tag didn't help. If Red State accomplishes nothing else, being successful at the $10 price point for VOD should abolish these silly $30 VOD movies once and for all.
If you were really looking forward to seeing Red State in theaters or getting your chance at a value-added event, then Kevin has you covered as well. In "early October" (I guess the October 19th date is out), Red State will play one night in theaters across the country, but the event will be more than just watching a movie.
Immediately following the movie, there will be a live Q&A in which Kevin's visage will be beamed into theaters via satellite and he'll solicit questions via Twitter. If that wasn't enough, following the Q&A he and Ralph Garman will do a live Hollywood Babble-On podcast that will also be broadcast into the theater.
That's over four hours of entertainment for "less than $20." As someone who has seen the movie with a Q&A and experienced a live podcast, this is a great entertainment value.
Kevin also announced that his domestic partner for the VOD and home entertainment release is Lionsgate. While the press release was vague about the DVD/Blu-ray date release, it did say that Red State will be available on "packaged media before the end of the year."
Let us know what you think about Kevin's latest groundbreaking move.