Redbox reached a new distribution deal with Universal Pictures to make the studio's Blu-ray Disc and DVD titles available for rental at Redbox kiosks the same day as retail sell-through dates.
The deal also makes Universal's movies available digitally through Redbox On Demand, which the company launched last week, via transactional video-on-demand rentals and electronic sell-through.
Under Redbox's previous pact with Universal, the kiosk operator had agreed to a 28-day window after home-video release to rent the studio's movies at its DVD kiosks.
The revised deal starts with January titles, which will include Tom Cruise-starrer "American Made" and comedy "Brad's Status," written and directed by Mike White and starring Ben Stiller, on Jan. 2, 2018.
Source: http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/redbox-universal-same-day-dvd-kiosk-rentals-1202647477/
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 28 2017, @01:01AM (7 children)
There's one of the Red Boxes at our local market. I'm there several times a week (lately I've been shopping for a shut-in relative) and never see anyone buying anything, and only occasionally is there anyone even looking at it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 28 2017, @01:37AM
Tom Cruise uses Redbox, so they have to stay in business.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 28 2017, @01:55AM (4 children)
Maybe its where you live. Where I am, a rural area of flyover country with cruddy expensive internet, I've never seen a box unused for more than 15 minutes and usually I have to either wait in line or have someone queue up behind me before I'm done.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 28 2017, @02:26AM (2 children)
That explains a lot, thanks. Internet here (great lakes area) is fairly good. Some neighborhoods (but not mine yet) have a choice of Spectrum (Time Warner) Cable internet or Verizon FiOS, so there is at least the appearance of some competition.
Given the difference in the amount of business, I'm surprised that we have a Redbox here at all.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday December 28 2017, @02:46AM (1 child)
Blockbuster [wikipedia.org] and RadioShack [wikipedia.org] didn't burn in a day. In fact, they still have 10 and 425 locations respectively.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Thursday December 28 2017, @03:16AM
amazing, and news to me! Redbox, however , seems to be everywhere you can by food and/or beer.
Perhaps, that's the difference ;-)
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday December 28 2017, @12:39PM
That sounds plausible to me. I have only seen Redbox in Speculator, NY, in the middle of the Adirondack State Forest, and close to Bar Harbor, Maine, next to Acadia National Park. Those essentially qualify as fly-over country. They can't have fat broadband pipes there.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Thursday December 28 2017, @05:06AM
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Thursday December 28 2017, @04:09AM (3 children)
They got popular about the time libraries bet big on stocking DVDs and Blu-Ray. I quickly found the only differences between the two was A) I had no idea when a DVD would arrive from the library; B) The library gives me 7 days to watch the movie (even though I occasionally get 3-4 movies in a single week which means some get watched and others get re-requested.); C) The library is free, D) For half the day, depending on which direction your Redbox screen genuflected, could not be seen due to glare. This was before they put the cloth screens over their display screens.
/ 7 days a movie is a win win for me, I can't sit still for 3+ hours in this old body
// I can play Blu-Ray in my PS3, if you order the Blu-Ray from the library you'll get it in 2-3 weeks max
/// Redbox put screens on their screens about the time I discovered the library had DVDs.
//// My ex has my lawn. Ask her if you have permission to be on it.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday December 28 2017, @04:17AM (2 children)
I've seen a number of films stocked at a library close to me. Probably a good selection, but it doesn't look comprehensive. Are you saying you can "order" (request or suggest?) any/most films to be added to your library?
There's another alternative: random streaming sites like hdonline.is. Almost certainly a better selection, and although it requires a computer + internet connection, you could even use it at a library computer with some headphones on. No popcorn and you have to wear clothes though.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Thursday December 28 2017, @04:36AM
This could be location centric. I live in San Diego and I've noticed that movies that don't show up at the library also don't show up at Redbox. I like weird films, maybe 10-20% of my wanna watches don't show up on either.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Thursday December 28 2017, @06:25AM
Ahh, finally got your question regarding my stupid comment on it. I live in San Diego, I can order DVDs/books/whatever from any of the 20 some libraries in the county. I can also order stuff from the City libraries, and if I want to keep searching from any library in the state.
It's kind of awesome. Don't remember what it was, but a couple years back I ordered a book that 1 library in California had 1 copy of. They sent it from San Jose to San Diego for free and gave me 3 weeks to read it.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by aristarchus on Thursday December 28 2017, @04:38AM (6 children)
Seriously, I have no comment to make on this. Please don't spam mod me, bro!
(Score: 1, Informative) by aristarchus on Thursday December 28 2017, @05:19AM (5 children)
Alright, let me explain. No Comment is actually a comment. It is a comment on how this article, fine though it may be in its own way, is innocuous, trivial, and not worth commenting upon. That is the comment of no-comment, which does sound suspiciously like Takuan's teaching of the "sword of no-sword". Ah, Zen and Tea Ceremony, not really appropriate for a SoylentNews alt-right crowd. Meanwhile, thousands of important and relevant news articles are being purposely ignored, censored, if you will, buy the editors. I prey for them. May there soles roost in piece.
(Score: 1, Offtopic) by aristarchus on Thursday December 28 2017, @05:45AM (4 children)
OK, redundant, fair enough. And here I am replying to myself, also redundant. Oh, this is not a good trajectory. . . Go ahead, mod me down again, and you and I will spiral down the vortex of an infinite regression, where we will have to await a Jedi natural like Rey, . . . wait, that is just totally Disney fake! Forever, then. Until some of us learn to learn. It is fine with me. Do you have any idea how long I had to wait for my heliocentric model to be confirmed, and widely adopted? And you think having neo-nazi editors on SoylentNews means anything to me, or to the Universe? Oh Mores! Oh Tempores! Huge Manatees!
(Score: 2, Insightful) by aristarchus on Thursday December 28 2017, @06:23AM (3 children)
So, let's take a look at it, shall we?
Notice anything? Yes, all but two are submitted by an editor. So we wonder why we run dry of submissions? Only driven fanatics like myself, hell-bent on messing with TMB's rightwing censorship on this site, bother to submit anything at all! I mean, it is nice that Redbox has red boxes, and nice that I can rent DVDs to rip, but why the constant bias on SoylentNews? A little less American stupid conservative, and a bit more enlightened citizen of the world, please?
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by aristarchus on Thursday December 28 2017, @06:26AM (2 children)
Only on SoylentNews could a "no comment" get this much down modding. Do you think The Donald would have to put up with this? That is, if he could actually say just "no comment".
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Thursday December 28 2017, @12:36PM (1 child)
Aristarchus, seriously, I say this with love: go outside and play. Running a multi-installment Offtopic sub-thread by yourself is not healthy.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday December 28 2017, @08:55PM
Point taken, Phoenix. Thanks.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 28 2017, @06:41AM
It is simple. In order for all these unconnected males, discarded boys, to have something to masturbate to, there must be a Red Box for their Red Pillar. Else all for nought would it be, so you see.
(Score: 2) by halcyon1234 on Thursday December 28 2017, @05:03PM
Original Submission [thedailywtf.com]