Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq is the first original movie that Amazon has made, following in the footsteps of other online media streaming services like Netflix, and the company has confirmed today that Prime members will be able to stream Chi-Raq for free starting February 4th, 2016. The movie was released in theaters on December 4th, in exactly two months it’s going to make the move from movie theaters to an online streaming platform.
Chi-Raq is already available in theates aside from the fact that it can also be purchased and rented online right away. It’s not just limited to Amazon’s platform, Chi-Raq can be purchased or rented even from iTunes and Google Play. Later this month the movie will also be released on DVD and Blu-ray.
By going with this staggered release Amazon is going to make money off of this movie using traditional distribution methods, despite the fact that Chi-Raq has seen a limited release with none of the whirlwind promotion tours that usually accompany a big studio film.
Starting February 4th, Amazon Prime members will be able to stream the movie at no additional charge. They’re already paying $99 per year for the Prime membership which includes access to Amazon’s massive library of entertainment content which includes movies and TV shows from a host of major networks.
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