Katzenberg says the film industry is changing because of pressure from technology

Apr 30, 2014 19:59 GMT  ·  By
DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says moviegoers will pay for window of availability in 10 years’ time
   DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg says moviegoers will pay for window of availability in 10 years’ time

In the broader discussion of the future of the film industry, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation, says that, in about 10 years’ time, we will be paying for our favorite films on a “by the inch” basis.

The statement was made during the Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Corporate World panel at the Milken Global Conference in Beverly Hills where, Variety reports, Katzenberg underlined the importance of changing the manner in which movies are released to keep up with technological advances and, of course, maximize profit.

So, movies will still come out in theaters as they do now, but he imagines they won’t run for longer than 3 weeks, after which time moviegoers will pay to see them depending on the size of the screen they want to see them on. That is to say, the bigger the screen, the higher the price tag.

“A movie screen will be $15. A 75” TV will be $4.00 [€2.89]. A smartphone will be $1.99 [€1.44]. That enterprise that will exist throughout the world, when that happens, and it will happen, it will reinvent the enterprise of movies,” Katzenberg said.

He concedes that most movies make the bulk of the profit during the theatrical run, but paying for window of availability could boost sales even more. Katzenberg imagines that this could happen a decade from now.