Amazon is bent on conquering the entertainment industry. After the success of its TV series, "Transparent," the online shopping giant company has announced that it will be producing original films.
Amazon announced last Monday that it will start producing and acquiring original films for theatrical release. The films which the company will produce, seem to compete with Netflix, as the former will be releasing them online just weeks after they were shown in theaters.
"Transparent" winning the best comedy award at the Golden Globes is a good sign for Amazon executives to dream bigger.
"We look forward to expanding our production efforts into feature films. Not only will we bring Prime Instant Video customers exciting, unique and exclusive films soon after a movie's theatrical run, but we hope this program will also benefit filmmakers, who too often struggle to mount fresh and daring stories that deserve an audience," Amazon Studios Vice President Roy Price said.
Amazon is planning to produce 12 movies a year (one movie a month), which would emphasize on "unique voices, stories, and characters from top and up-and-coming creators." The budget for the said films will be around $5 million to $25 million, according to Price.
"Though a lot of the attention in the industry and press has been focused recently on television series, and it is indeed a new golden era in television, we think the death of film has been greatly exaggerated and films can and will continue to be a vital, brilliant and unique part of culture in America and throughout the world. There is still a robust audience, certainly on Amazon, for interesting films," Price adds.
On Jan. 13, Amazon has announced that it has signed a deal with Woody Allen, who will write and direct series for the studio. It will be the first time for Allen to write and direct his own TV series.
"I don't know how I got into this. I have no ideas, and I'm not sure where to begin," Allen said. "My guess is that Roy Price will regret this," Allen jokingly adds.
