Facing Competition, iTunes Revs Up Its Film Section
By DAVID M. HALBFINGER

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 — When Edward Burns’s latest romantic comedy, “Purple Violets,” had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, it drew positive reviews, but only lukewarm offers from movie distributors.

Mr. Burns, the director of indie favorites like “The Brothers McMullen” and “She’s the One,” but whose latest movies have not done as well, knew from experience how that story would end, he said: “Not enough money to market the film, not a wide-enough release to even make a dent in the moviegoing public’s consciousness.”

So he and his partners, who spent $4 million making “Purple Violets,” instead are gambling any chance of recouping their investment on a distribution deal that involves not a single theater. On Nov. 20 the film will go up for sale exclusively on iTunes. It’s the first time a feature film will make its commercial debut on Apple’s digital download service, but only the latest deal aimed at winning attention for the iTunes movie category.

The New York Times
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