New Film Starring Oscar Winners Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger to Debut on DirecTV VOD Almost a Month Before It Comes to Theaters THR

Satellite provider DirecTV will present the feature film, "The Burning Plain," starring Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger, as a VOD offering almost a month before it opens in theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie will be available August 21st on DirecTV--on its DirecTV Cinema--and will be broadcast in both HD and standard definition.

The movie is directed by Guillermo Arriaga, who was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the original screenplay for the 2006 film "Babel."

DirecTV is owned by Liberty Media, which is controlled by John Malone. Years ago, when Malone ran the nation’s largest cable TV system, TCI, he stated many times that he thought it would be smart for the Hollywood Studios to premiere a movie on pay-per-view—charging a significant premium—before the movie opened in theaters. At the time he was unable to convince any of the studios to participate in his plan.

—Allison J. Waldman and Chuck Ross