The Japanese box office has yet to fully recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March. Revenue sunk more than 20 percent for the year, although the latest "Harry Potter" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" installments each grossed more than $100 million.
Disney Enterprises, Inc.LONDON – Johnny Depp starrer Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Real Steel and the recent remake of Fright Night will be among the movies from Disney’s portfolio available on YouTube and Google Play in the U.K.
Disney U.K. and Ireland has pacted with Google in the pair’s first content agreement in the region for the rental offering on the two online services.
It uses a cloud storage-based system to allow renters to access their movies of choice.
Consumers can access selected Disney-distributed movies via Google Play to rent and watch on Android smartphones and tablets, and they can use YouTube or the Google Play website to rent and watch movies on computers.
Once viewers rent a movie on Google Play or YouTube, they can watch that rental film on any device or computer they are logged into during the rental period.
Other titles from Disney’s back catalog include Con Air, starring Nicolas Cage and John Cusack and children’s classic Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
Prices start from £2.49 ($3.97) for standard definition and £3.49 ($5.57) for high definition versions.
Renters will have 30 days to begin watching their rental and 48 hours to finish.
“This launch will offer U.K. viewers further choice and flexibility in how they enjoy our must-see films at home or on the move – all in a hassle-free cloud system,” said Catherine Powell, senior vice president / general manager, Media Distribution, The Walt Disney Company EMEA. “We’re looking forward to working with Google to launch a broad range of titles to suit audiences of all ages and tastes.”
