http://www.mtv.com/jackassworld/player/embed/jaw/wp/The latest installment in the Jackass Movie franchise, “Jackass 2.5″is to be released exclusively first online and will be free to view. The move by Paramount pictures is being hailed as “the first studio-backed feature film to have its premiere online.”
Jackass 2.5 (trailer above) cost $2 million to make and is a one hour long compilation of original material and unseen outtakes from Jackass 2 which hit cinemas in 2006.
It’s an interesting move by Paramount. Naturally the movie wont be available to download for free, but the online stream (available December 19) is free and comes with 15-30 second pre and post roll advertisements. The movie though will only be available for 2 weeks online after which it heads down a more traditional route, heading to pay-per-view TV, DVD and iTunes for a fee.
The move is said in part to be a curtain raiser for the new online home for Jackass, “Jackass World” that will officially launch February 6.
As much as it sounds like a marketing ploy from Paramount, any move to debut a movie online for free has got to be a positive in the overall progression from the traditional media model to one that reflects the realities of the internet age. Of course it will take all of about 5 seconds for the movie to be ripped from the site and put onto BitTorrent, but maybe at least in this example, Paramount, unlike many of its competitors, may not be jackass’s after all.
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