For the first time, Facebook will stream a movie online on the same day that it opens in theaters. The movie, Marley, a documentary about the late reggae singer Bob Marley, will be available for a rental fee of $6.99 beginning April 20th. Theater owners by and large have opposed such "day and date" releases, with several threatening to boycott any film that is streamed online while still in theaters. They apparently feel less threatened by independent films and documentaries that are seeking a wider audience than they are likely to find in theaters. Marley is being released by Magnolia Pictures, operated by Todd Wagner and Dallas Mavericks owner and media entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who has suggested that such online sales do not affect theater attendance. In a recent interview with Home Media magazine, Cuban said, "People who go to the movies like to go to the movies, and that's why they go."

12/04/2012