Andre Yoskowitz
7 Dec 2010 12:56
Beginning today, the blockbuster hit "Inception," as well as "Knight and Day" starring Tom Cruise will be available as "premium" rentals via Blockbuster Express DVD kiosks, 28 days earlier than htey will be available via Netflix or Redbox kiosks.
That being said, "premium" comes at a price, $3 for the first night's rental, compared to $1 from Redbox. After the first night, the price drops to $1 per night.
Redbox, Netflix and Blockbuster Express (run by NCR) all have rental agreements in place with the major Hollywood studios that block most new releases from being placed in kiosks (or available online) for the first 28 days of their release, in exchange for significantly reduced pricing.
For now NCR is testing the "premium" rentals in just 900 of their kiosks around the U.S.
From all the major studios, only Disney and Paramount offer day-and-date DVD rentals to Netflix and Redbox, with no window.