Are First Run Films iTunes Next Act?

If you've been reading this blog with any regularity, you know that I am a major advocate of iTunes movie rentals.  While we'll have to wait for movie rentals, there is an interesting experiment going on in the movie section of the iTunes Store.  Apple has started to go after the short films market and, beginning tomorrow, will offer the first-run full-length feature film, Purple Violets, for download. 

Purple Violets is a film by Ed Burns, who's first film, The Brothers McMullen, went from indie acclaim to commercial success (you may often catch it running on the various cable movie channels).  Purple Violets has been called Burns' best film since The Brothers McMullen,  so it is kind of surprising that Burns is willing to take an unorthodox route in releasing first on iTunes (exclusively for 1 month) instead of going through a major studio for distribution in theaters.  According to Burns, the iTunes release experiment is worth the gamble:

we were talking with several distributors and had an offer from a company that I had worked at before and it was the same model--the platform release, New York, LA, let’s wait for the reviews [and] our per-screen averages that first weekend, and we’ll go to the next eight markets, the next 12 markets and we’ll roll out that way. That has been my career for 12 years, but I would say for the last seven years that hasn’t worked for my films...So myself and my two producers, Aaron Lubin and Pam Murphy, were brainstorming and the idea came up, ‘What about approaching iTunes?’ They had never premiered a film before… We thought this is where it seems to be going, so why not be on the cutting-edge of this technology-- and we can’t do any worse than the last three films of mine have done theatrically, so maybe we can do better.

The strange thing is, at least up until now, Apple does not seem to be hyping this up too much.  There's no prominent mention of the film on the iTunes store yet (although that may change tomorrow), just a buried entry for it in the "coming soon" section of the movie store.  What makes Apple's lack of hype even more puzzling is the fact that Hollywood seems to be looking at how successful Apple, the de facto only game in town, can make Purple Violets: 

"They're obviously the leader, by a long way," says Jamie Chvotkin, president at CD Baby and Film Baby, two services that help musicians and filmmakers offer their work in digital form. "Their share in movies is probably similar to what it is in music, somewhere in the 80% range."

...

"Purple Violets," which stars director Ed Burns, Debra Messing, and Selma Blair and was made on a $4 million budget, will be a crucial test for iTunes, the first movie it'll have before it is available anywhere else.

Properly marketed, "Purple Violets" or another indie exclusive could turn into the kind of breakout hit that could nudge digital downloading into the mainstream -- something that hasn't happened yet.

It is no secret that the movie studios have been reluctant to deal with Apple on movie downloads:

Privately, studio execs have expressed hope that iTunes won't turn into the single dominant retailer of digital movies -- with all the accompanying negotiating leverage -- that it has become for music. They don't want to be in business with a partner that dictates terms to them, rather than the other way around..."It's not that those studios don't want more distribution, it's that they're not willing to sell movies at a price lower (than the DVD wholesale price) to Apple," says CinemaNow's Marvis. "Someone is going to have to blink."

Given the fact that the major studios have, until now, been reluctant to deal with Apple on downloads (rentals may be another story), you would thing Apple would be going all out on this release.  So far, besides the promotion Burns is doing himself, Apple has not made a big splash - even though Purple Violets could jump start the stalemate between Apple and the studios:

"Properly marketed, 'Purple Violets' or another indie exclusive could turn into the kind of breakout hit that could nudge digital downloading into the mainstream -- something that hasn't happened yet."

So, keep an eye on iTunes over the next couple of weeks to see how successful Purple Violets is.  You can order the film (I believe for $12.99 today and then I think for $14.99 tomorrow) on iTunes.  Here's the link (which will open in iTunes):