Jeremy here…
Five years after officially opening shop, it looks like Amazon Studios is finally getting into the feature film production/distribution racket in a big way.
Per Variety, the company has announced plans to produce/acquire twelve movies a year for distribution. The first features, due later later in 2015, are expected to be acquisitions - i.e. films developed and financed outside of Amazon Studios. But as the company moves forward, they expect to employ a "traditional studio development process", which means they won't be leaning heavily on their script submission program (though the program will continue to be an avenue through which original films might be procured).
Budgets for these films are expected to be in the $5 million to $25 million range, with the movies ideally getting a two-month theatrical distribution before hitting VOD exclusively via Amazon. Whether the National Association of Theater Owners will go for that (they typically demand a longer theatrical-to-VOD release window for wide releases), we'll just have to wait and see. Also kinda important: the quality of the movies. The good news here is that veteran indie producer Ted Hope will oversee development. I hope this means one new Hal Hartley movie per year.
Given the company's stated preference for "unique stories, voices and characters from top and up-and-coming creators," I'm certain Hope will make a determined effort to field a diverse group of filmmakers. His production slate will receive a great deal of scrutiny.
