First movie on Facebook: Warner Bros.' 'The Dark Knight'
Warner Bros. has become the first Hollywood studio to offer movies for rental or purchase on Facebook, enabling users to watch films on the popular social-networking site, the studio has announced. First up? "The Dark Knight," available starting Tuesday. Now movie fans have one more reason never to log off Facebook.
Facebook fans who "liked" director Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" can now pay $3 to rent the superhero film through the movie's page on the site. Warner Bros. said that over the coming months it would make additional titles available for rental or purchase.
The new offering, which Warner described as a test, is part of an ongoing effort by Hollywood studios to offer their movies in more ways online to boost the still-nascent digital-distribution business. Increasing online rentals and sales is critical for the entertainment industry as revenue from DVDs continues to fall.
Warner also recently launched applications for "The Dark Knight" and "Inception" that allow users to watch the movies on an iPhone or iPad without downloading them from iTunes.
Related:
Warner Bros. launches "The Dark Knight," "Inception" as iPhone apps
-- Ben Fritz
Photo: "The Dark Knight" Facebook page. Credit: Warner Bros.
This could give Netflix a run for its money. Great idea, I could see myself watching a movie on Facebook then, immediately after wards, letting friends know if I liked it or not. Interesting idea.
Posted by: Adam Daly | March 08, 2011 at 09:04 AM
Yes. But how do I get this off my Facebook page and onto my TV set?
Posted by: Ucvbn Bjfyuvs | March 08, 2011 at 09:41 AM
The Dark Knight was the right choice for the first Facebook-released movie with Bale, Ledger and Eckhart, who coincidentally stars in Battle Los Angeles this weekend.
Posted by: Pete Sake | March 08, 2011 at 10:08 AM
The Dark Knight is probably the last film I'd want to see on a compute screen.
Posted by: sophie | March 08, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Can we watch "The Social Network" on Facebook. BTW, THIS IS SO GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Bill Coyne | March 08, 2011 at 01:17 PM
Personally, I love Facebook but I also *really* love Netflix + Roku streaming. I happen to like good-bad movies, though so until Facebook has these gems available, I'm keeping my Netflix subscription :)
14 Cult Movies You Can Stream for Free on Amazon or Netflix
Posted by: Amy | March 08, 2011 at 02:50 PM