Sony's new plan to debut movies

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) debuted Spiderman III, part of the remarkably successful series about the comic book character, in Japan yesterday. The movie will not show up in the U.S. or Europe for several weeks.

Sony is making the move for two reasons. One is that sales of movie tickets in the U.S. are flat. Studios are making more and more money overseas. In addition, Sony has bet a great deal on Blu-Ray, its pony in the high-definition DVD horse race. It is hoping that a big film launch in its native market will help sales of the new player.

It would make sense for Sony to consider opening a film in the country where it is headquartered, but if the novel move works, it would not be surprising to see Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) Warner Bros. or News Corp (NYSE: NWS) Fox studio look at opening films overseas.

Opening films in foreign countries when the characters originate overseas may have some audience appeal. It would not be terribly odd if a James Bond film appeared first in the UK.

The Sony move sends another message from the film industry. It may not be important where a film opens. With entertainment companies considering offering movies on DVDs, TVs and devices like the iPod at about the same time as they open in theaters, the idea of a debut is becoming less important. Due to piracy, films are often out on file sharing services and DVDs before they are even released officially.

If this trend of making money in digital and overseas sales rather than in movie theaters in the U.S. continues, the next film debut may be on the iPod.

Douglas A. McIntyre is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.