View source for Direct-to-video

{{short description|Specific film distribution method}}
{{redirect-several|Dab=no|Direct to Video (Roseanne)|Straight to DVD (album)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
'''Direct-to-video''', '''straight-to-video''', '''Direct-to-DVD''', '''DVD Premiere''', '''Direct-to-disc''',  '''Made-for-video''', or '''Made-for-home video''' refers to the [[Art release|release]] of a [[film]], [[television show|television series]], short or special to the public immediately on [[home video]] formats rather than an initial [[theatrical release]]<ref name="alvarez19941230">{{cite news |title= Big Names Look For Bright Lights In Videoland |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=1994-12-30 |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/12/30/big-names-look-for-bright-lights-in-videoland/ |access-date=2010-12-07|first=Max J |last=Alvarez}}</ref> or [[Television film|television premiere]]. This distribution strategy was prevalent before [[streaming platform]]s came to dominate the TV and movie distribution markets.

Because [[sequel]]s or [[prequel]]s of larger-budget films may be released direct-to-video, review references to direct-to-video releases are often [[pejorative]].<ref name=Clements>{{cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Jonathan |last2=McCarthy |first2=Helen |title=The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation |date=9 February 2015 |publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]] |isbn=978-1-61172-018-1 |pages=195–196 |edition=Third}}</ref> Direct-to-video release has also become profitable for independent filmmakers and smaller companies.<ref name="Lerman">{{Cite journal | last=Lerman | first=Laurence | title= Independents' 'Bread and Butter' | journal= Video Business | volume=21 | issue=38 | at=Section: Video Premieres | date=17 September 2001 }}</ref> Some direct-to-video [[Film genre|genre film]]s (with a high-profile star) can generate well in excess of $50 million revenue worldwide.<ref name="dvdex">{{cite web|author=DVD Exclusive Online|title=Stars, Money Migrate To DVDP (archived)|url=http://www.dvdexclusive.com/article.asp?articleID=2259|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515194442/http://www.dvdexclusive.com/article.asp?articleID=2259|archive-date=2006-05-15|access-date=2007-01-13}}</ref>

==Reasons for releasing direct to video==
A production studio may decide not to generally release a TV show or film for several possible reasons: a low budget, a lack of support from a TV network, negative reviews, its controversial nature, that it may appeal to a small [[niche market]], or a simple lack of general public interest. Studios, limited in the annual number of films to which they grant cinematic releases, may choose to pull the completed film from the theaters, or never exhibit it in theaters at all. Studios then generate revenue through video sales and rentals.<ref name="barlow2005-19">{{cite book | title = The DVD Revolution: Movies, Culture, and Technology | last = Barlow | first = Aaron | year = 2005 | publisher = Praeger/Greenwood | isbn = 0-275-98387-0 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/dvdrevolutionmov0000barl/page/19 19] | quote = Films that flop in theaters or which are never theatrically released can prove profitable through longer-term video and DVD sales. | url = https://archive.org/details/dvdrevolutionmov0000barl/page/19 }}</ref> Direct-to-video films are marketed mostly through colorful box covers, instead of advertising, and are not covered by publications like ''[[Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide]]''.{{r|alvarez19941230}}

The first direct-to-video release to go into production was ''E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind'' in 1984 produced by [[CineTel Films]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=28 November 1983|page=1|title=Premiere made-for-home-video feature firmed for production|last=Kleiman|first=Rena}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=E. Nick |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302517/ |website=IMDb |access-date=30 January 2024}}</ref>

Direct-to-video releases have historically carried a stigma of lower technical or artistic quality than theatrical releases.<ref name=Goodale>{{Cite news | last =Goodale | first =Gloria | title ='Straight to Video' Picks up Steam | newspaper =[[Christian Science Monitor]] | date =23 October 1998 }}</ref> Some films released direct-to-video are films which have been completed but were never released in movie theaters. This delay often occurs when a studio doubts a film's commercial prospects to justify a full cinema release or because its [[release window]] has closed. In film industry slang, such films are referred to as having been "vaulted".<ref name=Bernstein>{{cite news|last = Bernstein | first = Adam | title = Silent Films Speak Loudly for Hughes | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | at=TVWeek p. Y06 | date = 2004-12-12 }}</ref> Like [[B-movie]]s shown in [[drive-in theater]]s in the mid-20th century, direct-to-video films employ both former stars and young actors who may become stars later.{{r|alvarez19941230}}

Direct-to-video releases can be done for films which cannot be shown theatrically due to controversial content, or because the cost involved in a theatrical release is beyond the releasing company.<ref name=UsaToday>{{Cite news | title =More Films Jump Straight to DVD | newspaper =[[USA Today]] | at=Section: Life, p. 03d | date =6 August 2003 }}</ref>

By 1994, an average of six new direct-to-video films appeared each week. [[Erotic thriller]]s and [[Motion Picture Association film rating system#MPA film ratings|R-rated]] [[action film]]s were the two most successful genres.{{r|alvarez19941230}} [[Family film]]s  became more important than such genres later in the 1990s, as retailers stocked more copies of blockbuster films instead of more titles. According to the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'':<ref name=matzer19970416>{{cite news|title=Direct-to-Video Family Films Are Hitting Home|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-04-16-fi-49283-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=4 June 2011|first=Marla|last=Matzer |date=1997-04-16}}</ref>

{{quote|Often, the downfall of live-action family films at the box office is their strength on video. Their appeal is to families with young children, who may go to only a couple of movies per year but who will watch many videos multiple times. The teens and young adults who drive blockbuster box office statistics stay away from family movies.}}

Some [[horror film]]s that are unsuccessful in theaters, like ''[[Witchcraft (1988 film)|Witchcraft]]'', begin successful direct-to-video series.{{r|alvarez19941230}} Studios may also release sequels or spin-offs to a successful live action film straight to DVD, due to a lack of budget in comparison to the original.{{or?|date=June 2025}}

===Animation===
Animated sequels and feature-length episodes of animated series are also often released in this fashion. The first feature-length animated film to be released direct-to-video in the United States was ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation]]'' in 1992.<ref name="toon">{{Citation | title = VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 2000 | chapter = Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation | chapter-url = http://www.movieretriever.com/movies/1083557/Tiny-Toon-Adventures:-How-I-Spent-My-Vacation | last = Connors | first = Martin | author2 = Jim Craddock | publisher = Thomson Gale | year = 2000 | location = Farmington Hills | page = [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590421/page/923 923] | isbn = 978-1-57859-042-1 | url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590421/page/923 }}</ref> The practice of creating and releasing regular fiction specifically for video did not really take off until 1994, with [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]'s ''[[The Return of Jafar]]'' and [[Universal Pictures Home Entertainment|Universal]]'s ''[[The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure]]'', neither of which was intended to hit theaters at any point in its production.<ref name=UsaToday/> Unlike their original theatrical counterparts, most of these sequels on this format are notoriously known to have suffered a great deal of removing past characters by the frequent changing on basic storyline focuses and are likely classified as non-[[canon (fiction)|canon]], such as those by [[Disney]].<ref>[https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/disney-sequels-direct-to-video-to-frozen-2/ Disney sequels from non-canonical DTV to Frozen II.]</ref> Some, like Universal's ''[[Balto II: Wolf Quest]]'', have dealt with distribution challenges, causing them to be delayed until further notice,<ref>{{cite web |title=Production length and costs |url=https://www.animationsource.org/balto/en/articles/Production_length_and_costs/84798.html&id_film%3D11 |website=animationsource.org |access-date=31 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231021211/http://www.animationsource.org/balto/en/articles/Production_length_and_costs/84798.html&id_film=11 |archive-date=31 December 2016}}</ref> or otherwise be released in incorrect order. Several of the animated sequels, like [[MGM Home Entertainment|MGM]]'s ''[[The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue]]'' from 1998, have sparked significant criticism by fans of the original predecessors<ref>{{cite news |last=Ellin |first=Harlene |date=1998-12-24 |title=The mystery of 'NIMH II': Why did they even bother? |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/12/24/the-mystery-of-nimh-ii-why-did-they-even-bother/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |work=Chicago Tribune |page=7B |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> as these franchises will abruptly discontinue. Several other film series will be continuous if they become more successful, like ''[[Scooby-Doo]]'' for instance (their video debut ''[[Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island]]'' became one of the best-selling DTV films of all time.<ref>{{cite web | last=Delgado | first=Mariana | title=Why 'Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island' Is One of the Best & Scariest Films of the Franchise | website=Collider | date=1 September 2021 | url=https://collider.com/best-scariest-scooby-doo-movie-zombie-island-reason-why/ | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref>).

===Pornography===
During the [[Golden Age of Porn]] in the 1970s, many pornographic films were released in theatres, some of which became some of the highest-grossing films in their release years, and in the pornography industry altogether. Toward the 1980s, porn began to shift to video release, because video allowed the producers to work on extremely low budgets and dispense with some film production elements, like scripts, and the increased privacy and convenience of the format change were preferred by the target market. During the late 1990s and onward, [[Pornography|pornographers]] began releasing content on the Internet.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

==Physical format releases==

===Direct-to-video films screened theatrically===
Occasionally, a studio that makes a movie that was prepared as a direct-to-video film will release it theatrically at the last minute due to the success of another film with a similar subject matter or an ultimate studio decision. ''[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]'' is an example of this. However, despite the movie's critically acclaimed success, its box-office performance was very poor, which has been attributed to the last minute nature of its theatrical release. The film had much better commercial success in its subsequent home video releases.

Other times, a direct-to-video movie may get a limited theatrical screening in order to build excitement for the actual release of the video such as was done for 2010's ''[[Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths]]'', and ''[[Planet Hulk (film)|Planet Hulk]]'', 2016's ''[[Batman: The Killing Joke (film)|Batman: The Killing Joke]]''<ref>[http://www.comicmix.com/news/2010/02/05/justice-league-crisis-on-two-earths-gets-big-screen-premieres-on-two-coasts/ Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths gets big-screen Premieres on Two Coasts] – Comicmix.com – 5 February 2010</ref> or 2013's ''[[Sharknado]]''. In some cases, other direct-to-video films can also be theatrically released in other countries.

===Direct-to-disc or DVD premiere===
{{Anchor|Direct-to-disc|Direct-to-DVD|reason=Various redirects may use these; leave them here.}}
As [[DVD]]s gradually replaced [[VHS]] [[videocassette]]s, the term "direct-to-DVD" replaced "direct-to-video" in some instances.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://preview.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/july_2006.html#071806 |title= DVD's Scarlet Letter |access-date= 2007-01-13 |last= Berardinelli |first= James}}</ref> However, the word "video" does not necessarily refer to videocassettes. Many publications continue to use the term "direct-to-video" for DVDs or [[Blu-ray]]s. Both disc-based release types may also be referred to as "direct-to-disc". A new term sometimes used is "DVD premiere" (DVDP).<ref>For one example of the term "DVDP" in use, see {{cite web|title=Paramount grows DVDP slate|url=http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6273122.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514022914/http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6273122.html|archive-date=14 May 2006|access-date=2007-01-13}}</ref> Such films can cost as little as $20 million,<ref name="dvdex"/> about a third of the average cost of a Hollywood release.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mueller|first=Anne|date=23 June 2011|title=Why Movies Cost So Much to Make|url=http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0611/why-movies-cost-so-much-to-make.aspx|access-date=24 Jul 2014|work=Investopedia US|publisher=IAC}}. {{As of|2007}}, the average production cost was $65 million, and distribution and marketing added about another $35 million, for a total of around $100 million</ref> According to ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', ''[[American Pie Presents: Band Camp]]'' sold more than one million copies in a week.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hettrick|first=Scott|date=2 January 2005|title=Spending on DVDs up 10%|url=https://variety.com/2005/digital/features/spending-on-dvds-up-10-1117935319/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105212518/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117935319|archive-date=5 November 2012|url-status=live|access-date=2007-01-13}}</ref>

Some direct-to-DVD releases recently have tended to feature actors who were formerly bankable stars. In 2005, salaries for some of these direct-to-DVD actors in the multimillion-dollar range from $2 to $4 million ([[Jean-Claude Van Damme]]) and $4.5 to $10 million ([[Steven Seagal]]), in some cases exceeding the actors' theatrical rates.<ref name="dvdex" />

==Digital releases==
{{Anchor|Direct-to-digital}}
With the increasing prominence of [[digital distribution]] platforms in the 2000s and 2010s, direct-to-digital releases began to emerge alongside, or in lieu of home video. In November 2007, [[Ed Burns]]' ''[[Purple Violets]]'' became the first film to "premiere" exclusively for [[Electronic sell-through|sale]] on [[iTunes Store]], being exclusive to the platform for a month exclusively. It had premiered at the [[Tribeca Film Festival]] in April, where it was reviewed positively, but only received modest distribution offers.<ref name="FCiRUIFS">{{cite web|title=Facing Competition, iTunes Revs Up Its Film Section|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/movies/23appl.html|author=Halbfinger, David M.|date=2007-10-23|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2011-08-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Graser, Marc|date=2007-10-25|title=Ed Burns offers 'Violets' on iTunes: Feature to skip theatrical release|url=https://variety.com/2007/digital/features/ed-burns-offers-violets-on-itunes-1117974768/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516090750/https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117974768?refCatId=1009|archive-date=16 May 2012|access-date=2011-08-25|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>  At the time, it was not very common for consumers to make digital movie purchases.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kirsner, Scott|date=2007-11-02|title=Studio's Digital Dilemma: Apple Calling Shots as Biz Tries To Control Market|url=https://variety.com/2007/digital/features/studios-digital-dilemma-1117975284/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111035402/https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975284?refCatId=1009|archive-date=11 November 2010|access-date=2011-08-26|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

As part of a push by the service towards original content, the [[subscription video on demand]] service [[Netflix]] began to acquire feature films for distribution on its service in the 2010s, including the 2013 documentary ''[[The Square (2013 film)|The Square]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|title=Netflix gets its first Oscars nod with 'The Square'|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/netflix-gets-its-first-oscars-nod-with-the-square/|last=Tibken|first=Shara|website=CNET|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> and its first feature film in 2015 — ''[[Beasts of No Nation (film)|Beasts of No Nation]]''.<ref name="Netflixrelease">{{cite magazine|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=2 March 2015|title=Netflix Makes Another Bigscreen Splash With 'Beasts of No Nation'|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/netflix-makes-another-bigscreen-splash-with-beasts-of-no-nation-1201444716/|magazine=Variety|access-date=3 March 2015}}</ref> Netflix pursued a simultaneous release strategy for its films, partnering with a distributor for a [[limited theatrical release]] (in order to maintain eligibility for awards requiring theatrical release, such as the [[Academy Awards]]) simultaneous with their availability to subscribers. As this practice violates the traditional [[release window]]s mandated by the cinema industry, major chains have typically declined to screen the films.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Netflix Dates First Feature Film Slate With Idris Elba, Cary Fukunaga, Adam Sandler, Harvey Weinstein, Paul Reubens & Judd Apatow|url=https://deadline.com/2015/07/netflix-feature-films-paul-reubens-adam-sandler-judd-apatow-idris-elba-pee-wee-herman-1201471559/|last= Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|date=2015-07-07|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Movie Chains Balk At Netflix's Plan For Simultaneous Release|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/03/07/391458598/movie-chains-balk-at-screening-new-film-while-netflix-debuts-it-online|website=NPR.org|language=en|access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref> Since 2018, Netflix has partially backpedaled from this strategy, giving its films a one-month theatrical run before their premiere on the Netflix service.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Netflix will release 10 fall films in theaters before they stream|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/27/20835697/netflix-fall-movie-lineup-theatrical-release-steven-soderbergh-laundromat-martin-scorsese-irishman|last=Lee|first=Dami|date=2019-08-27|website=The Verge|language=en|access-date=2020-03-18}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web|title=Netflix Responds to Steven Spielberg's Push to Bar It From Oscars|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/netflix-steven-spielberg-oscars-1203154092/|last=Lang|first=Brent|date=4 March 2019|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref>

Unique circumstances have also resulted in direct-to-digital releases, sometimes alongside a limited theatrical release; the 2014 film ''[[The Interview]]'' was released simultaneously on digital and at selected cinemas, after major chains dropped the film due to terrorist threats by a hacking group believed to have ties to [[North Korea]] (whose regime is satirized in the film). The group had also [[Sony Pictures hack|leaked confidential data from the internal servers]] of the film's distributor, [[Sony Pictures]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=What is Kernel? The Stealth Startup Sony Tapped to Stream 'The Interview' (Exclusive)|url=https://variety.com/2014/digital/news/what-is-kernel-the-stealth-startup-sony-tapped-to-stream-the-interview-exclusive-1201386944/|last=Wallenstein|first=Andrew|date=2014-12-24|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref><ref name="deadline-limitedrelease">{{cite web|title='The Interview' Release Back On For Christmas Day – Update|url=https://deadline.com/2014/12/interview-release-back-on-christmas-sony-attack-1201334389/|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=23 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223224802/https://deadline.com/2014/12/interview-release-back-on-christmas-sony-attack-1201334389/|archive-date=23 December 2014|access-date=23 December 2014}}</ref>

The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] resulted in [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema|worldwide closures of cinemas]] due to economic restrictions and guidance against public gatherings, which prompted direct-to-digital releases for several major films; the Chinese film ''[[Lost in Russia]]'' was acquired by [[ByteDance]] for 630 million yuan (almost 100 million in US dollars) and streamed on its platforms (including [[TikTok]]) for free in lieu of a theatrical release, as part of a larger relationship with the company and the film's distributor Huanxi Media.<ref>{{Cite web|title=China's 'Lost in Russia' Switches to Unprecedented Online Release in Response to Coronavirus Outbreak|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/coronavirus-china-lost-in-russia-online-release-1203478139/|last=Frater|first=Patrick|date=2020-01-24|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> A number of U.S. films were shifted directly to video-on-demand rentals in lieu of a theatrical release,''<ref>{{Cite web|title='Trolls World Tour': Drive-In Theaters Deliver What They Can During COVID-19 Exhibition Shutdown – Easter Weekend 2020 Box Office|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/trolls-world-tour-coronavirus-box-office-vod-easter-weekend-1202907646/|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=2020-04-14|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2020-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Scoob!' To Skip Theaters & Head Into Homes; How Director Tony Cervone Got Animated Pic Across The Finish Line In COVID-19 Climate|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/scoob-home-release-skip-movie-theaters-coronavirus-1202914059/|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=April 21, 2020|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=April 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Focus Features Sets Digital Release For 'The High Note' Starring Tracee Ellis Ross & Dakota Johnson|url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/focus-features-digital-release-the-high-note-tracee-ellis-ross-dakota-johnson-1202925502/|last=N'Dukao|first=Amanda|date=May 4, 2020|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref>'' while some have been sold directly to subscription services, including [[Disney+]],<ref>{{Cite web|title='Artemis Fowl' Premiere Date on Disney Plus Set as Movie Goes Direct-to-Streaming|url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/artemis-fowl-disney-plus-premiere-date-1234583206/|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=2020-04-17|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> [[Max (streaming service)|Max]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Seth Rogen Comedy 'An American Pickle' Jumps From Sony To HBO Max|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/seth-rogen-an-american-pickle-sells-to-hbo-max-from-sony-1202918806/|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=27 April 2020|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref> Netflix,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kumail Nanjiani & Issa Rae Comedy 'The Lovebirds' To Nest At Netflix|url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/the-lovebirds-netflix-debut-coronavirus-paramount-1202842883/|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=2020-03-20|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> and [[Amazon Prime Video]].<ref>{{Cite web|title='My Spy': STX Dave Bautista Action Comedy Acquired By Amazon Studios For Streaming|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/my-spy-acquired-by-amazon-studios-stx-dave-bautista-1202903723/|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=2020-04-08|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref>

==OVA and V-Cinema in Japan==
OV ("original video") are movies made for direct-to-video release in the Japanese market. OVA ("[[original video animation]]")<ref name=artifice>{{cite web |author1=DustinKop |title=A Look at the 1980's Anime OVA Legacy |url=https://the-artifice.com/1980s-anime-ova-legacy/ |website=the-artifice.com |date=12 February 2016 |publisher=[[The Artifice]] |access-date=10 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930073216/https://the-artifice.com/1980s-anime-ova-legacy/ |archive-date=30 September 2020}}</ref> is distinguished from OVM ("original video movies") or V-Cinema, which usually refer to non-animated works. Different production studios may use other labels like "V drama".

The OVA market developed in the mid-1980s.<ref name=ANN>{{cite web |last1=Sevakis |first1=Justin |title=Why Did So Many OVA Series End Prematurely? |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2015-07-29/.90986 |website=animenewsnetwork.com |publisher=Anime News Network |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> The lax restrictions and censorship in comparison to broadcast television appealed to filmmakers, allowing them to include more controversial content, as the films did not need to rely on sponsored advertisements for financial support. The result was animated films with greater sexual, violent, or political content.<ref name=ANN /> The market continued to expand during the [[Japanese asset price bubble]] and began to decline with the collapse of the bubble in the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref name=artifice />

With the rise of [[VHS]] [[home video]] and the decline of the Japanese economy in the late 1980s, film studios struggled to recoup investments on big-budget films. (See [[Cinema of Japan]]) Inspired by the success of OVAs, [[Toei Company|Toei]] released the first film in its V-Cinema line, ''[[Crime Hunter]]'', in March 1989. Following Toei's success, other studios began to release a slew of direct-to-video movies, often under lines with similar names such as "V-Picture", "V-Feature" and "V-Movie".<ref name="Mes1">{{cite book 
|last=Mes 
|first=Tom 
|date=2023 
|title=Japanese Film and the Challenge of Video 
|url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003346814/japanese-film-challenge-video-tom-mes
|url-access=subscription
|location=London and New York
|publisher=[[Routledge]]
|series=Media, Culture and Social Change in Asia
|page=70
|isbn=978-1-032-38797-0
|access-date=}}</ref> Despite "V-Cinema" originally being simply the name of Toei's line of direct-to-video release, in Japan it came to refer to all Japanese direct-to-video film releases, regardless of which studio released them or what line they were part of.<ref name="Mes1"/>

Relaxed censorship in V-Cinema gave way to the premier and rise of expressive [[auteur]] directors such as [[Takashi Miike]], [[Hideo Nakata]], [[Shinji Aoyama]], and [[Kiyoshi Kurosawa]].<ref name=lwl>{{cite web |last1=Balmont |first1=James |title=How V-Cinema sparked a Japanese filmmaking revolution |url=https://lwlies.com/articles/japanese-v-cinema-takashi-miike-shinjuku-triad-society/ |website=lwlies.com |publisher=[[Little White Lies (magazine)|Little White Lies]] |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref><ref name=mes /> As the release of these titles were outside of usual distribution, studios and directors worked quickly to capitalize on niche markets or upcoming and current trends to increase financial returns.<ref name=Macias>{{cite web |last1=Macias |first1=Patrick |title=The Harajuku Line: Forgotten Fashion Monsters of Japanese V-Cinema |url=https://medium.com/@patrickmacias/the-harajuku-line-forgotten-fashion-monsters-of-japanese-v-cinema-ced107f8fda9 |website=medium.com |date=15 November 2019 |publisher=[[Medium (website)|Medium]] |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> This period of history in Japanese cinema has been described by film journalist [[Tom Mes]] as "a far more diverse and vibrant film scene [than previous eras]".<ref name=mes>{{cite web |last1=Mes |first1=Tom |title=The V-Cinema Notebook, Part 1 |url=http://www.midnighteye.com/features/the-v-cinema-notebook-part-1/ |website=midnighteye.com |publisher=[[Midnight Eye]] |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> By 1995, the V-Cinema industry was in decline,<ref name=lwl /> but the explosion in quantity and variety of such movies established and cemented genres like [[J-horror]] and [[yakuza films]].<ref name=Macias />

The success of OVAs and V-Cinema has resulted in less stigma regarding direct-to-video releases in Japan than in western markets.<ref name=Clements /> While there are still OVA and V-Cinema releases, the market is considerably smaller than it was in the 1980s and 1990s.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

=="Online Big Movies" in China==
In the mid-to-late 2010s, low-budget [[B-movie]]s that are made exclusively for [[Streaming media|digital streaming]] became a trend in China; these films are called "Online Big Movies" ("OBM"; 网络大电影 in Chinese, or simply 网大).<ref name=quan/> The word "Big" in the name was meant to be [[sardonic]], as most of these films are often made on a very low budget<ref>{{cite news|url=https://kknews.cc/zh-my/entertainment/qy2evvg.html|title=低成本网络大电影的制作秘籍|access-date=2021-04-14|archive-date=2021-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414024242/https://kknews.cc/zh-my/entertainment/qy2evvg.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and featuring mostly unknown cast members and sometimes nonprofessional actors.<ref name="quan">{{cite news |title= |script-title=zh:你可能没注意到的网络大电影正在崛起 |url=https://ent.qq.com/original/guiquan/g216.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512101625/https://ent.qq.com/original/guiquan/g216.html |archive-date=2016-05-12 |work=qq.com}}</ref>  However, increasingly, the budget for these films have been slowly climbing up, due to the success of these films on digital distribution platforms;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ishare.ifeng.com/c/s/7mS5GiTekeJ|title=预算占比30%，投入近百万：网络大电影进入"营销时代"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/74199257_247520|title = 网络大电影"爆发" 市场规模有望达10亿|website = [[Sohu]]}}</ref> the budget for these films can now range from less than 1 million yuan to upwards of 10 or 20 million yuan.  Although these "Online Big Movies" rarely feature well-known actors, in recent years, many "Online Big Movies" have hired veteran actors from [[Hong Kong action cinema]] and [[Cinema of Taiwan|Taiwanese cinema]] to join its cast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sohu.com/a/253476110_437262|title=他们曾经都大红大紫过，如今沦落到拍网络电影令人唏嘘|website=[[Sohu]]}}</ref>   These movies are also to be differentiated from films that are made for theatrical release but were later acquired by digital streaming services, in that these "Online Big Movies" are produced by internet companies with the sole intent of digital release.

In additional to the digital distribution of these films in China, many of the "Online Big Movies" have also been released on digital platforms outside of China, such as on [[YouTube]].  Several YouTube channels, such as Q1Q2 Movie Channel Official<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU5qmd5NvJljDBeM1sD-D1A/videos?view=0&sort=p&flow=grid|title=Q1Q2 Movie Channel Official|website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> and YOUKU MOVIE<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE2UHXGOlqotRJgEWl_tiMw/videos?view=0&sort=p|title=YOUKU MOVIE|website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> are popular channels that distributes these "Online Big Movies".

==See also==
* [[List of animated direct-to-video series]]
* [[B movie]]
* [[First run (filmmaking)|First run film]]
* [[First-run syndication]]
* [[Shot-on-video film]]
* [[Television film]]                                                                                    
* [[Video on demand]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |title=VideoHound's Video Premieres: The Only Guide to Video Originals and Limited Releases |first=Mike |last=Mayo |year=1997 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |isbn=0-7876-0825-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/videohoundsvideo00mayo }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Direct-to-video}}
[[Category:Direct-to-video media| ]]
[[Category:Home video]]
[[Category:Film and video terminology]]
[[Category:Television terminology]]
[[Category:Film and video technology]]