Redbox to delay renting Warner movies in return for lower costs and access to Blu-ray
By Richard Lawler 
posted February 16th 2010 6:52PM
posted February 16th 2010 6:52PM
As we figured they would, Warner Bros. and Redbox have come to an agreement that will see the movie house supply DVDs and Blu-ray discs straight to the kiosk renter, after a 28 day delay, as well as a promise to destroy the copies after they are taken out of rental circulation. Much like Warner's deal with Netflix, it sees the delay as a way to protect its high margin sales and pricier VOD rentals, then provide the equivalent of a dollar movie theater down the road as flicks hit budget renters. On Redbox's end, it's looking forward to reduced costs for movies and access to Blu-ray titles in return for dropping its lawsuit, and has a deal in place with yet another content provider. No word on any expansion of Blu-ray availability in kiosks, but the new deal kicks off with The Blind Side in March, can you wait that long to save a few bucks?
Another loss for consumers. The movie industry's greed is relentless. =/
@Jyncus I take it as a win -- in the sense that I won't buy a movie that I have not seen. If I'm force to wait a month to rent, then I'm forced to wait longer to buy. And if I've waited a month, I might as well wait for it to hit bargain price. Their stupidity just cost them me possibly buying a new release when its price is high in favor of waiting for the price to lower. True, that is far from their intent, but it certainly is what they are causing.
@mburstin
I agree. I've already waited 4-5 months to see a movie. I can easily wait another month. We already have to wait another month for most digital rentals. So what if physical rentals gets moved into that window? By making more and cheaper movies available to Netflix and Redbox at a later date the studios are feeding sleeping monsters. Eventually it will be Netflix and Redbox who call the shots and not the studios and all of this windowing nonsense will get turned upside down.
People just aren't buying every DVD/blu-ray in which they have only the slightest interest anymore. They are being much more choosy with what they buy. Pushing rentals back a month is not going to change that fact.
They almost wanna make an honest man earn his sea legs.
screw warner bros greedy bastards.
I'm not buying any warner dvds
@buri0819
Pretty much this.
Rent em for a buck and burn em. Screw Warner.
I wonder if Redbox would have helped Blockbuster close stores if they had always delayed new releases for 28 days.. yeah