It sounds like your idea of content is "things on Netflix or free on Amazon". No, you will not get new releases there and in my opinion it is unreasonable to expect that.
I was honestly surprised at how quickly The Avengers found its way to Netflix streaming. I figured there was still enough money to be made off iTunes/Amazon/etc rentals and purchases to preclude giving it away that cheaply.
Fans of The Avengers fans are probably the ones most likely to pirate the movie after a minute's worth of inconvenience.
Meanwhile, Disney can take away a purchased movie from Amazon because the parents probably (a) already have the Disney channel, and (b) are willing to pay for it. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6911944
It's a non-story to the mainstream media. Amazon said it was a temporary issue unrelated to Disney's request to stop selling it. Those who had purchased the movie and lost access had their access restored.
That's because Disney is trying to ingrain their brands into pop culture. Modern Marvel movies can't stand on their own merits so Disney has to give them away in hopes of getting people to see future movies in the franchise. It's manipulative bullshit marketing to cover up the poor writing, bad cinematography, overused CGI and post production added 3D effects. Since Disney bought Marvel in 2010 that's what has been produced. There is no vision beyond maximizing their ROI (selling made in China toys and clothes to children, etc.) and setting up future installments in the franchise. It is dishonest and I hope they fail miserably.
Do you want to see a real super hero film? Go watch Nolan's Batman series.
I'm not talking about new releases, I'm talking about 86% of AFI's top 100 since 1907.
The Avengers is Joss Whedon. Modern, progressive filmmakers are pretty good about getting their content onto streaming services, but there are still enormous gaps in the catalogs.
I just went through the first 30 titles in the AFI top 100. Out of those 30, only four are not available in the iTunes Store: Sunset Blvd., Some Like it Hot, Star Wars, and The Grapes of Wrath. The other 26 are available and cost $3.99 to rent – all those are also available to buy, for $6-15.
I don’t have the time to search for the rest of the 70 titles in the iTunes Store, but from a few blind tests I did, I’d say the vast majority is available there.
Maybe they made plenty off of it, and wanted to promote their other movies (hint: Thor 2). I personally contributed $20 in movie tickets to the Avengers (saw it twice). I also went and saw Thor 2.
I was honestly surprised at how quickly The Avengers found its way to Netflix streaming. I figured there was still enough money to be made off iTunes/Amazon/etc rentals and purchases to preclude giving it away that cheaply.