The gap for The Dark Knight is less – its iTunes version costs £6.99 – but still noticeable. Warner Bros is undercutting itself, with Inception costing £5.99 through its app, but £9.99 as a more traditional video download from Apple's iTunes Store. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Warner Bros' App Editions is their price. Both apps tap into social networks too, allowing fans to post quotes on Twitter and Facebook, while seeing a feed of what people are saying about the films. The Dark Knight includes a trivia game, a soundboard and art gallery, while Inception bundles in five music tracks from composer Hans Zimmer.
The advantage of using apps as a distribution mechanism for movies is the ability to wrap DVD-style extras and interactivity around them. "In 2011, Warner Bros will release a full slate of App Editions including new release and catalog films," says Thomas Gewecke, president of the studio's Digital Distribution division.
Releasing two movies-as-apps might seem like an experiment, but Warner Bros is pitching it as the start of a wider rollout. The apps have been launched in more than 30 countries, with Warner Bros keen to point out that some of those – China, Brazil and the Netherlands, for example – have not previously sold movies through Apple's iTunes Store. That compares to £9.99 and £6.99 respectively for the video-only versions of the films on Apple's iTunes Store, so Inception is cheaper as a video, but The Dark Knight is cheaper as an app. The studio is charging £11.49 in-app for Inception, and £5.99 for The Dark Knight.
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