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DENVER, Colorado (Reuters) -- How about a movie on DVD to go with your Big Mac and fries?

McDonald's Corp. said Monday it would install experimental DVD rental machines in more than 100 Denver-area outlets in the next month.

The automatic kiosks will feature the most popular 30 to 40 DVD titles, which will rent for $1 per night without any membership or late fees, the company said.

Under the program, movies can be returned to any McDonald's outlet featuring the Redbox kiosks, which are owned and operated by privately held DVDPlay. If the total charges on a rental reach $25, the DVD belongs to the customer and does not have to be returned, McDonald's said.

If McDonald's rolls out the test program nationwide, it would become the first fast food chain to offer DVDs and increase the competition for existing video rental operators such as Dallas-based Blockbuster Inc.

McDonald's said its test program coincides with growing demand for DVDs, with industry observers estimating the share of DVD-ready households in the United States will reach 80 percent within three years.

"When fully implemented, Redbox DVD rental machines will be available in over 100 McDonald's restaurants once again providing ultimate convenience and giving our customers another reason to visit us," Bernie Schaefer, vice president and general manager of the food outlet's Rocky Mountain region, said in a statement.

So far, 24 Denver-area McDonald's restaurants have installed the ATM-sized DVD rental machines and another 80 will be installed by the end of June, the company said.

The Rebox DVD rental machines hold between 100 and 350 DVDs and can be operated with either a credit or debit card. SOURCE

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-25-2004, 03:30 AM:
 
This is just stupid.

Who here remembers when the video stores only got one VHS copy of each movie and you had to wait your turn (sometimes months) to rent it for a night?
 

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Posted by Mitchell Cope (Member # 32) on 05-25-2004, 06:36 AM:
 
I interpret it to mean that there will be more than one DVD per title. According to what I've read, McDonald's is not doing this to take over the video rental business, but to get customer's inside their store and "smell the fries". I think its success will be how many restaurants they can get this in at a dollar a pop.

Actually, I've missed the days when you could visit a mom and pop store and rent a video for $1. Blockbuster was always too high and they've had to compete with Wal-Mart DVD sales that range from $5.50 to around $14. Why rent when you can own? As a side note, Wal-Mart would also use their DVD sales to get you in the store.
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 06-04-2004, 01:25 PM:
 
I remember!! And I remember when theaters used to only get one print of a movie, too. When "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" came out on video, our local store got 5 copies. It was a BIG DEAL!

Only a few stores would actually let you reserve a copy when it comes in. Most, you'd just have to get lucky.

Now Blockbuster gets 50 billion copies, which most end up "Previously Viewed" on sale a week later. (Notice that they don't put them in the original cases, but instead those BlockBuster DVD cases with the tabs? What do they do with the display cases? Methinks I'll go DD a blockbuster!)

The kiosks are as bad of an idea as those 48-hour, $6 7-11 DVDs

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-04-2004, 01:39 PM:
 
I have a special senior citizen membership at Tower Video and can rent new titles for $1.85 each a night. Since I live near the store, I am always there when they open every Tuesday morning at 9:00 and have first crack at all of the new titles. On Wednesday and Thursday, I can rent old and new movies for $1.35 a night.

As far as McDonalds renting DVDs, I have no problem with that if they have multiple titles and the rental price is what people are willing to pay. If my local Longs Drug store and Foodland super markets can successfully rent videos, I am sure the fast food establishment can too.

-Claude
 

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Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 06-04-2004, 01:51 PM:
 
So are previously viewed kid movies going to start coming with a happy meal, and previously viewed adult movies with the adult happy meal?
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-09-2004, 08:48 PM:
 
Brad, "waiting your turn" went out in the 80s, I believe. Around the same time those stupid blinking-light shoes came out.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-09-2004, 09:06 PM:
 
Thomas, Blockbuster switches out the boxes tot he ones that have the lockable tabs as you have noticed. What happens to the original boxes? Well since I am friends with a manager of Blockbuster, I get caseloads of them! I usually use them for EDVD-R's and also for my X-Box games (because I hate those super ugly green boxes... they are teh ghey.)[av=m]
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-09-2004, 09:50 PM:
 
Hey! X-Box green is teh awsum! I want it for my chat color.
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 06-10-2004, 10:12 AM:
 

quote: Mike Blakesley

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Brad, "waiting your turn" went out in the 80s, I believe. Around the same time those stupid blinking-light shoes came out.

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News flash. Those blinking light shoes are still quite popular. We get complaints from customers, especially kids movies, about how someones son/daughter refuses to "Turn off their shoes" and it's distracting them from the movie. Maybe there should be an addition in the Policy Trailer with Maxwell Smart on a shoe phone -- "Please turn off all cell phones and shoes, where applicable"

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-16-2004, 06:53 PM:
 
Thomas: Where did I say the blinking shoes are not still popular? I hate the damn things. Although I don't think we've ever had a complaint on them (other than from me!)
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 06-26-2004, 08:54 PM:
 
Won't the DVD's get greasy?
 

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Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 06-29-2004, 03:39 PM:
 
This isn't just a scam to get you into a mcdonalds, its a scam to get you in TWICE. You have to return the DVD and "smell the fries" again.

-adam
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-29-2004, 08:56 PM:
 
I saw an ad today about this type of rental kiosk. This looks like just another work out of your home scam. I don't think I'll be "Securing the best locations" anytime soon.

Franchize oportnity for people who like to waste money
 

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Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 07-05-2004, 03:44 PM:
 
The folks behind the "The Box Office Express" (link in above post) have also been advertising pretty heavily during the day on quite a few cable channels, most notably Spike TV.

Towards the end of the TV ad, it looks like they have one of their machines located by a theater concession stand, but you can't tell for sure. I guess this would be ideal placement for the owner who wants second-run revenue but doesn't want to have to go to all the trouble of opening up another location.

The commerical goes to great lengths to blur out the images on the kiosk screen when the "customer" happily rents Legally Blonde 2 and then clearly shows a Lion King DVD disc being inserted into the machine for return. High quality production values.
 

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Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 07-05-2004, 07:06 PM:
 
from american entertianment distributors, 8th bullet under "benefits" "Movis that lose money..."

Movis?

How are the discs checked when they are returned? Whats to keep someone from slipping in (accidentally or intentionally) a disc that doesn't belong? The whole thing sounds flakey. And its only $36,000?

-Adam
 

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