06/04/2012 - Service includes art-house films from most major British distributors

After a soft launch a year ago, distributors and theatre chain Curzon Artificial Eye has launched an on demand service. The company has joined hands with television manufacturer Samsung Electronics and the Curzon On Demand Smart TV App developed by Video-on-Demand and Connected TV solutions provider Capablue, makes European and world films on the day they are released in the cinema directly to people’s front rooms. The service is also available online.

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There are currently some 250 films on the service. New releases such as this Friday’s Le Havre [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aki Kaurismäki
film profile] are available for £6 (set to rise to £10 later in the year); recent releases like Girl With a Dragon Tattoo and Melancholia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lars von Trier
film profile] for £4 or library titles for £2. Apart from Artificial Eye, other distributors on board include Revolver, Metrodome, Momentum, Soda Pictures, New Wave, BFI, Verve, Park Circus, Picturehouse and Vertigo. Unlike other on demand services, Curzon prefers not to do bulk library deals with distributors, rather choosing individual titles for what they call their ‘curated’ approach.

Philip Knatchbull, CEO of Curzon Artificial Eye, said, “We’re passionate about independent film and want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to enjoy our films which is why we’re so excited about our Curzon on Demand App for Samsung Smart TVs. Being able to let film fans who don’t live near one of our cinemas share the enjoyment of our movies on release day, just like they are in our theatres, is an exciting step forward.”