Apple Pitching Hollywood For Early Access to Theatrical Releases

Don’t want to wait for newly-released movies to become available online? iTunes might be making them available just two weeks after their release – but you’ll have to pay a premium.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, which cites “people with knowledge of the matter,” Apple is in talks with a number of Hollywood studios in order to get priority access to movies.

21st Century Fox, Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures have all confirmed they are also considering allowing home rentals of films as soon as two weeks after they have been released in cinemas.

A deal with iTunes is one option for distributing recent films – however it’s likely these will come at a premium price, possibly between $25-$50 USD.

There is resistance as expected from movie theatres, which want new movies exclusively theirs to generate profits from concession and ticket sales. Theatres usually have at least three months of exclusive rights over new movies before Hollywood studios release Blu-Rays or make the films available online for purchase.

It’s unclear at present what resolution these films would be delivered in. Most cinema projectors are either 2K or 4K compatible; iTunes films are currently available at a 720p or 1080p resolution, with 5.1 Dolby sound.

In contrast, Google has recently added 4K films on its Play store for customers in the US and Canada.