Warner Bros is now experimenting by selling movies as standalone iOS apps, starting with Inception and The Dark Night. While the apps themselves are free to download, the actual movies available as in-app purchases.

Warner Bros. has played it smart by including bonus features, such as games, soundtracks, and integration with Twitter and Facebook to promote hit dialogues. The free versions are teasers which lure users to buy in full movie via an “in-app” purchase button. While “The Dark Knight” costs $9.99, Inception is priced higher at $11.99. Both the paid offerings include innovations such as the ability to watch the film in as many as 34 languages and the ability to clip sounds and customize ringtones. IMO, 10 bucks for a few ringtones and wallpapers surely sounds like an overkill.

Once you’ve paid for a movie, you can choose to either stream the movie to your iPad or download it to your iPad for later viewing. Both the apps are available in over 30 countries and provide an alternative to users in countries that do not have access to films for purchase via the iTunes Store. Warner Bros is already working on app editions for other movies to be launched throughout the year. Unfortunately, Apple’s DRM restrictions imply that users can’t transfer these movies to their Mac or DVD players, despite making a hefty in-app purchase.

Have a look a video of the Warner Bros ‘The Dark Knight’ app in action.



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