It’s fortunately no secret that HDNet Films and HDNet Movies are leading the charge in collapsing windows all the way to Day and Date releases of Movies in theaters, on TV (HDNet Movies), and soon, on video.
Our first movie, Enron – The Smartest Guys in the Room, premiered in theaters and on HDNet Movies the very same day. Enron went on to not only get great reviews, but also become one of the highest grossing documentaries of all time.
HDNet Films next 3 efforts have all been accepted into the Toronto Film Festival (as I write this, I’m on my way there )
The War Within, (watch the trailer) a tale of a terrorist, intent on avenging the torture and murder of his brother who is smuggled into New York. Saying he has come to find an engineering job, he is invited to stay with the family of childhood friends that had emigrated to the US and had found success and security. Hiding in plain site, he must come decide between his mission, a suicide bombing, and his renewed feelings for his longtime friends.
The War Within opens in New York and Los Angeles on Sept 30th, and expands across the country the following two weeks. It will also premiere with 2 HDNet Movies showingson Sept 30th. After which it will be exclusively in theaters.
We also hope to have a special announcementon some extra value for those who buy their tickets for the War Within through our partners. HDNet Filmsis always looking for ways to create value and excitement for our theatrical partnes. Stay tuned!
Our 2nd Feature is Bubble. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. I’ts a murder mystery set in a small town,centered around 3 people who work in a doll factory. It’s visual. It’s creepy. It’s Steven Soderbergh. A release date hasn’t been set yet. Stay tuned for a lot more information.
The 3rd is One Last Thing, starring Cynthia Nixon. Gina Gershon, Sunny Mabrey, Michael Angarano and Wycleaf Jean. “One Last Thing…” is the funny and heartbreaking story of Dylan and his mother, Carol, as they struggle with the boy’s terminal illness. Invited onto national television by an organization that grants last wishes to dying children, Dylan surprises everyone by making an eyebrow-raising request. As Dylan gleefully prepares to have his final wish fulfille.
This movie isamazing. It’s hysterical, uplifting and heartbreaking.I promise you will laugh and cry. For guys, it’s a movie that will have you laughing out loud . For girls, it’s every bit the chick flick. Which hopefully will make it the perfect date movie for everyone.
I’m incredibly proud of all 3. Each takes on difficult subjects. Each was filmed exclusively in high definition. Each will make you think and have you talking about it not only as you leave the theater, but as you think back about them days later.
Hopefully everyone will get to see them and let me know what you think!
But wait, there’s more!
HDNet Films isn’t our only film company. Todd Wagner, my partner, has an amazing slate coming up from 2929 Entertainment, our more traditional film production company.
Opening October 7th is George Clooney’s Good Night and Good Luck. (Cinematical Updates) It was a huge award winner at last weeks Venice Film Festival and is already being talked about for this years Oscar nominations.
Coming this winter is Akeelah and the Bee. A 12-year-old African-American girl (Keke Palmer) overcomes social pressures and her own insecurities to compete in the national spelling bee with the help of a jaded former spelling champion (Laurence Fishburne) and her mother (Angela Bassett).
Make sure to not miss either!!
So anyone who says that movies aren’t as good as they used to be.Well you just aren’t paying attention to the right movies!
I measure the quality of basketball in the US by its ability to maintain hegemony internationally or to improve on that domination. US basketball has done neither. Not only has it fallen back to the pack, I contend that the pack might be leaving it behind due to inertia effects.
Comment by runescape money -
I’m a fan of small budget/high concept as an ideal paradigm for films. My film studio would produce films for 10 million max. If you can’t do it for ten or less, I’m not listening. High concept: if you can’t sum your film up in two engaging sentences or less, I’m not listening.
Comment by wow powerleveling -
And who is going to watch the movies?
Comment by CableGuy -
I would have to agree with you Mark, i just watched a movie with my girl from webdatedotcom and high-definition films really revolutionized this industry
Comment by thynoe123 -
I like independent films – really
Comment by sanoba -
very good!
Comment by 11nong -
And I use the program and resources BT2Net, it is a good resource as speed of uploading is great. And Ñкачивать even it is possible films which go in кинотетрах. Quality certainly bad but to look it is possible! I advise all BT2Net!
Comment by whales -
Hello Mr. Cuban,
My last film went out through Lionsgate, and I have 3 others in post, and 4 more fully financed for 2006. Who can I meet/speak with regarding Acquisitions for 2929 ?
Thank you, Daniel Zirilli
Comment by Daniel Zirilli -
The War Within the best!
I want this movie;)
Can’t wait till i saw it;)
Comment by Ronald -
Ashley – So the Enron movie was 1-sided eh? Which side was that?
I would agree that technological advances, high budgets and creative writers/directors currently resulting in some of the best movies of all time being produced in this era. However, maybe the reason it seems like movies as a whole have gone downhill is the fact that technology has also made it very easy for ANYONE to make a movie, and thus the amount of crap that’s being churned out has increased exponentially.
Comment by JP -
The Enron movie was great. Saw it in the hteatre and found it to be a little one sided but hey I guess thats the way it went down atleast from one persons point of view.
Comment by Ashley Bowers -
MC, I appreciate the involvement of yourself and TW in the film industry. Hard to miss, a nice side effect has been when the Clooney’s of the world sit chairside at a Mavs game
http://tel.52z.com
Comment by pp -
Samsung officially announced five new super-slim handsets today. From left-to-right we see the 0.59-inch SGH-Z510 which Samsung claims is the world’s slimmest W-CDMA (3G) handset, the SGH-Z540 3G clamshell which (gasp) we haven’t actually seen before, the love-it-or-hate-it vintage-TI-calculator styled SGH-P300, and finally two tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE SGH-D800 and D820 sliders. So what’s the deal above? The http://sonygirls.com got to love this. Have you guys noticed all these gadgets are becoming more and more popular among the girls? All five models feature MP3/AAC playback, Bluetooth, MPEG-4 video recording, and 1.3 megapixel shooter. By the way so how’s the upcoming http://playstationgirl.com heard that it’s going to be release on year 2007. The D800, Z510 and Z540 also feature WMA playback with 80MB, 138MB, and 150MB embedded storage respectively while the D820 is quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, packs in 73MB, an MicroSD slot, and even, er, TV-out if our Babelrean is working correctly. Oddly, the P300 is rumored to have 90MB of flash storage yet there is no mention of any storage in the press release. Oh my, such a long wait, think we should just simply stick to http://xboxgirl.com for now. All models should be available in Europe later this year. Pics of the P300 after the break with a slightly different key layout than we’ve seen previously.
Comment by Anonymous -
Wow. I’m not in your HDNet target market there, but I’ve been looking at this stuff… Mostly from a IPTV standpoint. We’ve mentioned DTV on Downloadsquad before. I think that is where the revolution WILL be televised– only on PC’s.
What you’re doing here is important stuff.
Oh, and a friend of mine worked on Bubble. Said he had fun.
Unfortunately, all the stuff you’re talking about is unavailable to me. What we need is one real company/production house/star to step out, take the initiative, and start really creating the content we dreamed about back in Web 1.0… IPTV, vCasting, whatever you want to call it, that’s where it’ll go.
It’s like blogging, only with better production values.
Comment by Victor Agreda, Jr. -
I saw the Enron film at a theater in Campbell, California, when it was released. I must say that I was very impressed with it. I didn’t realize how badly Gray Davis got screwed over. I’m not partial to either side but the republicans really they did a number on Davis. I also recommend Sharon Watkin’s book, Power Failure. Thanks for the film.
Comment by edward miller -
Here, we’re talking about sports and HD: http://www.allstarhockeyfans.com/postings/d6e9767b90deaad71f18048da17a8ab5 … I’m not certain you need HD for movies, but I did see a National Geographic special in HD and it brought whole new relevance to watching scenes of nature that would otherwise seem boring on regular television. It was breathtaking. I think the added detail and dimension of sports will add a great deal of excitement.
Comment by Marc -
Independent films ~ yes.
Studio films ~ no.
Comment by Turalee -
Hey Cubes,
Being a guy who knows his technology, and also an entreprenuer, producer of films, etc…Why not make a Documentary about “open source”? Not about the code or anything, but about the people, personalities, attitudes, motivations, etc…. You’ve already got a great set of Characters (Richard Stallman, Linus Torvalds, Marc Fleurry etc., etc.) plus you frame it as a modern day “David” vs “Goliath”… Innovation, Ideas and Technology verses the old “big business” “microsoft verses Linux”. I’m sure the “characters” would love the attention, they are constantly trying to promote thier ideas. Plus there are millions of us “Geeks” out here who want to know what would possess a guy to work 20 hours a day for months just to “give something away”.
I gotta believe this idea is something that would at least attract at least a “cult” following, and I would think you would be the perfect guy to make this happen.
Anyways, just a thought.
Cheers,
E.
Comment by Eric DeFazio -
Mr. Cuban,
I applaud your support for and production of high-quality original film. It is refreshing and great to see a man who has made his mark through innovative business techniques apply his fresh thinking to cultural creation. Your Landmark Theatre chain is great at bringing the sort of unique and high-quality films you are talking about (including Enron) into the Detroit area (where I live). Specifically the “Main Art Theatre” in Royal Oak, MI is a community gem and an enriching part of my life. The staff there is great, the atmosphere is lighthearted and comfortable, the films are top-notch, and the popcorn is to die-for (although on the atmosphere side I was disappointed when the theatre record player, a former staple that added to the unique, vintage environment and could always be counted on to have my favorite classic rock staples, and motown jams spinning, was removed about half-a-year ago). However, recent reports in our local paper tell of the theatre’s almost imminent closure, Say it ain’t so Mark, say it ain’t so. The Main is by far the best thing in a downtown that is becoming more and more gentrified and homogenous. The theatre stands as a beacon of ingenuity and the best place to see a film in the entire state of Michigan. Mr. Cuban, please save our theatre!
Comment by Paul Jackson -
I just read about your new take on the distribution and promotion of movies in the latest issue of Premiere. And all I can say is bravo. From what I have been able to see distribution isnt only a problem in the movie industry, but the television industry as well.
I find it amazing that the other entertainment industries have not noticed the success of multiple platform release in the music industry and the possible profits therein. iTunes became far more profitable than anyone but Jobs had imagined. The people get their content at a reasonable price and the record companies reap higher profits due to absolutely no packaging or production costs except the actual recording and mixing.
The technology is really at a point where the same action can be taken with movies. Media Center PCs and DVRs along with moderately priced broadband service makes the time ripe to try the same tactic with film.
Internet video success can be exemplified in The Daily Show, where its internet audience is reaching a significant percentage of their overall audience.
The great thing is, most of the work in finding a system to deliver these large files is already done by those whom the RIAA and MPAA are fighting. These men who for so long have been labeled by the industries as villians will become their new heros. Gotta love the irony.
Keep on challenging the old fashioned system and make some pictures that will put your system on the map. Because, without quality content, distribution is a moot point. Good luck.
Comment by Brandon Ronk -
MC, I appreciate the involvement of yourself and TW in the film industry. Hard to miss, a nice side effect has been when the Clooney’s of the world sit chairside at a Mavs game; it sure spices up the night for us season ticket holders. 🙂
Comment by Jeff -
the war within sounds kinda like the devil’s own w/ brad pitt and harrison ford.
sounds cool though.
greetings from atlantis.. err.. new orleans
mail me some clothes plz!!!!
Comment by danny moore -
who has time to watch movies????
Comment by Bobby Orbach -
You mentioned that you think these films will inspire people to think and talk about them days later. This is exactly the kind of effect from a film I’m interested in. I, of course, haven’t seen these so I can’t comment on them, but after seeing The Lord of The Rings, nothing coming out in theaters seemed to matter much. As a result it has greatly cut down on the number of movies I see per year in the theater. I have tended toward longer documentaries instead. (Such as Ric Burns’ “New York”) Maybe I’m just getting old…
Great to see you challenge the theatrical release to TV timeline though. Always seemed so stupid to me to have to enforce it but I can understand why it’s there.
Comment by Anders Brownworth -
Mr. Cuban:
I like your ideas.
You don’t just think “outside of the box.” You smash the cardboard to smithereens.
I have a movie script (who doesn’t these days). I am sending a copy to both you and Mr. Wagner the screenplay and support materials.
Best to you.
Comment by Cameron Smith -
Hey Mark. Let me first say, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and what you’ve accomplished thus far and read your blogs on a regular basis. I’ve been very interested in watching HDNet films but living in NNJ with Cablevision (HD box) in my home, it is as if your channels and movies never existed. What can we do about this? Why won’t Cablevision broadcast your channels? I realize it’s a complex monetary issue but if customers are willing to pay why not at least offer it?
Comment by Glenn -
Laz is right. “Hollywood” is the ultimate house of cards and the digital age is that burgeoning gust of wind that threatens it greatly. What to do?
Well, Hollywood can continue their prehistoric practices and deal with the consequences when it’s much too late, or, adjust to the new market realities.
Bottom line, traditional Hollywood “economics” no longer make sense in the long-term. It’s a problem for them, but a marvelous opportunity for the rest of us.
Comment by Charles -
I’m all in favor of collapsing windows and think that the model makes sense.
Your argument about film quality is similar to your argument about basketball quality. I disagree with you on ball and disagree with you now on film. I’ll explain.
I measure the quality of basketball in the US by its ability to maintain hegemony internationally or to improve on that domination. US basketball has done neither. Not only has it fallen back to the pack, I contend that the pack might be leaving it behind due to inertia effects.
US Basketball adopted marketing tactics in order to grow the business. I don’t have a problem with the marketing strategies per se and cannot offer a more viable alternative to it. However, the NBA has become the product that it markets (as opposed to a product that contains elements, some of which are elucidated upon in an advertisement), to the detriment of the quality and efficacy of the game on a whole.
So you can put forth two arguments about US basketball: you can say that it’s peaked… that basketball reached a zenith of dominance that was impossible to maintain, which still makes it true that basketball has fallen off. Or you can say that the world has gotten better and we have not, which means that in today’s dollars, american basketball does not measure up with years past. I’m 26, so it’s all the same to me, but the argument stands.
As relates to film… I think a similar thing has happened. For the most part, films have been reshaped by the marketing machine. Couple that with the high (and IMO unjustified) cost of making films, and one can justify the risk mitigation practiced by the industry. If you agree with the above, then you’ll probably agree that not much original comes of hollywood, and you can probably justify it with numbers. To agree that less original material is coming out of hollywood, and to assert a direct correlation between the average cost of films and production of original material is to agree that film quality would decrease with increased average cost for film.
All of which is to say, I don’t agree that films are better than ever.
I do however, agree with collapsed windows (although I’ve read a bit of the hell you’re catching from studio exec and distributors, etc.)
I’m a fan of small budget/high concept as an ideal paradigm for films. My film studio would produce films for 10 million max. If you can’t do it for ten or less, I’m not listening. High concept: if you can’t sum your film up in two engaging sentences or less, I’m not listening. Other than that, you can do whatever kind of film you want. Analysis of box office number show that wide release small budget films have the greatest percentage returns.
The next question that begs to be asked is, how can a business run inefficiently and not be made obsolete by up-and-comers who do it with precision? How long can Hollywood maintain this model?
I digress. I do disagree with you though, Marc.
Pardon any grammar or spelling errors… I’m watching a bad movie!
Comment by Laz -
Any chance HDNet will become avaiable in other countries? Would love to have it in Australia!
Comment by Michael -
Hello Mark and everyone out there. To commemorate 9/11, I’ve decided to visit every single blog on my blogroll today. I appreciate the entertainment and enjoyment you provide, and I wish you peace and happiness.
LJ
Comment by mooalex -
When is enron comming to dvd? cant wait to see it.
Comment by Charles -
(concerning the download question, I would rephrase it “when can I (pay to) download it (legally)?”)
Comment by michael hickin -
You could become the new Z Channel. Film fans out here sure hope so.
Comment by RamZ -
Question Mark, when can I download this movie?
Comment by michael hickin -
I have ‘Enron’ in my Netflix queue awaiting release. What is the reason for the delay in the video release of these films?
Comment by Aron -
Nice line-up. I’m particularly interested in the Soderbergh projects.
And I continue to applaud your overhauling of the Hollywood distribution model. Of course consumers want their entertainment when and how they want it, so give them options.
But imagine how great your slate will look when you start doing animation and Sci-Fi in HD! =)
http://www.melano.tv
Comment by Charles -