Talk about how popular Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence has become. Some three weeks before her latest movie titled “Serena” is to hit the theaters, the film is now available for digital renting on Google Play and iTunes through video streaming.
Lawrence co-stars with Bradley Cooper in the drama film which is now using a non-traditional distribution plan, notes Variety.
Rental via video streaming of “Serena” is worth $10.99 for HD and $9.99 for SD on Google Play. It is worth $9.99 on iTunes.
The price is actually about $4 to $5 higher than the usual digital rental. However, since “Serena” has yet to hit theaters, the add-on cost may be meant to cover for the advance availability of the film ahead of its theatrical release.
An exception
It is very seldom that Google Play and iTunes make available movies for digital renting via video streaming and it looks like the popularity of Jennifer Lawrence has something to do with the new strategy that is now being employed by a small independent film production company like Magnolia Pictures.
Movies normally become available on iTunes several weeks or months after they have been shown on theaters.
There is only one movie so far that was made available on digital rental in iTunes before it was shown and it’s the film “The Interview,” which has something to do with its being a critically-acclaimed movie.
“Serena” will only be the second movie to take the same distribution route. The movie, directed by Danish Susanne Bier has been completed as early as 2012 but it was only last year that it found a US distributor. It was already shown in the UK on October 24, 2014.
It could have been shown ahead of Jennifer Lawrence’s “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” but for lack of appropriate distribution channels, it was deferred to March 27th this year.
Third collaboration
“Serena” marks the third time that Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper will collaborate in a movie. They previously worked together in “Silver Linings Playbook” and also “American Hustle” where Jennifer won a Best Actress Award at the Oscars back in 2012.
They will do a fourth movie together which they are completing at the moment in Massachusetts titled “Joy” currently being directed by David O. Russell.
“Serena” is a period drama based on the novel of the same title by Ron Rash. Bradley and Jennifer play husband and wife fighting to save their North Carolina timber business at the time of the Great Depression that was sweeping all across America then.
The movie tells the story of a ruthless timber baron and his equally ruthless wife building a business empire during the 1930s. Jennifer is the barren wife of Bradley and she sets out to murder the woman who bore her husband an illegitimate son.