Magnolia Pictures has struck a deal with inflight Wi-Fi provider Gogo to offer films to airlines before their theatrical bows. The premium VOD window is a first for Gogo.
“The Last Days on Mars” will be made available on flights in November, a month before its starts playing in theaters on Dec. 6, followed by “Best Man Down,” out in theaters Nov. 8. The films will be available through Gogo Vision, Gogo’s recently launched VOD service.
Gogo Vision enables passengers to rent movies and television shows and stream them to their own Wi-Fi enabled devices. The company currently offers a library of 100 titles, with film rentals starting at $3.99 for a movie and $.99 for a TV show.
“The Last Days on Mars” and “Best Man Down” will be priced closer to $10 for pre-theatrical and $7 for theatrical releases, around what more traditional VOD services charge for film rentals.
Gogo sees deals like the one with Magnolia as a new revenue stream for the company. It makes most of its coin from the sale of Wi-Fi connections on airlines. But it’s been looking for ways to use its Internet connections as a way to expand into other areas like entertainment distribution.
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Passengers can finish watching the title on the ground for a 24-hour period on the same device after they’re landed.
“We continue to enhance and improve the offerings that passengers can find on Gogo Vision,” said Gogo’s chief commercial officer, Ash ElDifrawi. “Magnolia has a strong history of bringing cutting edge and compelling content to market. Having pre-theatrical and theatrical releases available to passengers is a first for Gogo and it will help assure that there’s always something fresh and exciting for passengers to watch when they use Gogo Vision.”
“The Last Days on Mars,” directed by Ruairi Robinson, stars Liev Schreiber, Romola Garai, Elias Koteas, Olivia Williams, Johnny Harris, Goran Kostic, Tom Cullen and Yusra Warsama, while Justin Long and Tyler Labine headline the comedy “Best Man Down.”
Magnolia sees the Gogo deal as a way to offer airline passengers the same early window access to its films that has been available in virtually every home, every mobile device and many hotels across the country, according to Eamonn Bowles, president of Magnolia Pictures.
