AOTC on HBO

[Jedi Master Carr]

I just read this on theforce.net

Lucasfilm has put the word out to HBO, Showtime and Starz! that it has created a pay TV window for "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones."
The pay networks are surprised at the movie's availability because they assumed Lucasfilm would repeat the no-pay-window strategy engineered for "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." For "Menace," the Fox Network bought out the pay window, negotiating the deal at the same time 20th Century Fox worked out the contract to distribute the movie theatrically.

But the broadcast networks have cut back on their purchases of theatrical movies. Sluggish advertising revenues have curtailed the expense budgets of the networks, and movie ratings have fallen off noticeably in primetime during the past three or four years.

I guess FOX don't want to pay the money though TPM had solid ratings just probably good enough to want to pay HBO money for AOTC(I guess that is there thinking) Still, Spiderman will be on one of them too so its not like it shows anything bad, heck ANH was on HBO once upon a time, that is the first place that I saw it oddly enough.

[CMJ]

Shucks! I don't have HBO. :p

[JMK]

Me neither.

CMJ, isn't it like 5:40am out there? What in the blue hell are you doing awake dude? If you say getting ready for work, then all of a sudden, I don't want to make movies anymore. ;)

[CMJ]

Crew call is 7AM....and the set is about 45 minutes away. So yes, I'm up for work at this early hour.

I'm actually not looking forward to Thursday. The call time is 10AM which means shooting won't wrap till 10PM at the earliest.

*sigh*

[JMK]

Boy I REALLY hope you're enjoying yourself! ;)

[Jedieb]

I don't think Fox made much of a profit off of TPM. The ratings for theaterical releases just aren't what they used to be adn I expect TPM's price tag was steeper than your average first run movie. But the hype and the ties between the two companies probably played a part in Fox's decision. I still expect AOTC to make it to Fox eventually. It'll just go the more traditional route of pay per view and cable first.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah I think that is the case Jedieb and plus Lucas would make more money off of it too, if he goes pay per view this time (the article wasn't clear about that) I wonder which network will pay for it HBO, Showtime or Starz? Lately Starz has been getting the bigger movies for some reason, they must be paying more money for them, but I wouldn't mind seeing it on HBO there is some nostaglic about it for me, since the first time I saw Star Wars was on HBO.

[flagg]

I always find it confusing when FOX TV buys a movie from FOX Studios. Does that mean Rupert Murdoch writes out a check to himself? :)

[JMK]

No, he just moves the money from one pocket to the other.

[Marcus Telcontar]

It's for accounting and buisness unit setup reasons.

And maybe because their auditors are Arthur Anderson?