Fox is trying a brand new marketing tactic beginning with the upcoming Prometheus release, which is not set to hit Blu-ray, DVD, or On Demand until October 11. However, fans wanting to catch the movie early will easily be able to do so, thanks to a new initiative through the Ultraviolet Cloud Service. As part of Fox’s new digital promotion,Prometheus is expected to join the Cloud on September 18.
Fox hasn’t been one of the major parties using the Cloud until now (unlike Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures, who were both early embracers of the technology), but, Fox is joining up with Ultraviolet to introduce Prometheus early, and for lower prices than the physical Blu-ray or DVDs would cost. The company has plans to try the same initiative with releases in the future, but my guess is, the better Prometheus does, the longer the initiative will stick around.
The New York Times first posted the news, stating the move is a way for Fox to attempt to revive the home entertainment industry, which has been slowly faltering over the past several years. Assumedly, Prometheus will be a great first contender for the experiment, since plenty of people have a deep attachment to the film via its connection to the Alien franchise. Plus, the around $15 release price for the set is almost unbeatable for a new release.
Fox has dubbed the September 18 release “Digital HD” or DHD, so if you hear the term tossed around in the coming months, know it signifies an early release that comes with a caveat: paying in to the Ultraviolet Cloud Service. If there was a reason to go digital, I’d say Prometheus would be it. Then again, I have biased views when it comes to the movie.
Update: Prometheus will also available early through resources as varied as Amazon, CinemaNow, iTunes, Playstation, VUDU, Xbox and GooglePlay.
