YouTube had its first movie premiere last week, roughly five months after it launched the "world's largest theater."
"The Princess of Nebraska," an independent film described as "awkwardly acted" by the New York Times critic A.O. Scott, had its premiere on YouTube on Friday night, and already, close to 200,000 people have watched. It's a fine turnout for an independent film, especially considering a "hit" in the indie world might make $1 million at the box office.
Hypothetically, if all 200,000 viewers paid $6.88 (the 2007 average ticket price, according to the National Association of Theater Owners), the movie might have grossed $1.4 million in ticket sales.
But the movie was free on YouTube, and as far as we can tell, there was no advertising, with the exception of a small ad for the YouTube Screening Room.
More than likely, YouTube was probably a cheap way (if not free) to distribute the film. It was probably an especially attractive option for a year-old movie that still hadn't had a major theatrical release, despite the fact that it screened at a handful of film festivals in 2007, including Telluride and Toronto.
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