The Netflix/Amazon arms race continues today with another major move. The company announced its Amazon Studios division will begin to "produce and acquire" its own original films.
Unlike Netflix, which announced its first original film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Green Legend, will premiere in theaters and on its streaming service simultaneously, Amazon plans on letting its movies stay in theaters for "four to six weeks" before offering them online. This will likely help the company avoid the immediate blowback Netflix received from theaters following its own announcement.
Amazon ambitiously plans on releasing "close to 12 films a year," but don't expect any blockbusters. Variety reports the budgets for each film will range from $5 million to $25 million, putting them more in line with indie flicks. The first such films are expected to go into production later this year.
Between this news and Woody Allan's upcoming series, this year is already looking strong for Amazon. It doesn't even matter that neither announcement has given us a concrete idea of what to expect from the projects.
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[via CNN]
