Warner Bros. on Monday announced plans to expand its test of streaming films on Facebook with the addition of "Inception," "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Life as We Know It," and "Yogi Bear."
The films will be available via their Facebook pages starting at 10pm Pacific. Harry Potter will set users back 30 Facebook Credits ($3), while the other four titles will cost 40 Facebook Credits ($4).
Earlier this month, Warner Bros. announced plans to offer streaming access to "The Dark Knight" via Facebook. Like that effort, users this time around will have access to "Inception," "Harry Potter," and others for 48 hours after purchase. They can watch the films in full screen, pause, and resume when logging back into Facebook. Given that this is a social-networking site, users can post comments on the movie, interact with friends, and update their status while watching.
"We're pleased to expand our test with a variety of titles that will appeal to a broad audience," Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, said in a statement. "These titles have substantial followings on Facebook. The Fan Pages for 'Harry Potter' and 'Inception' alone are two of the most popular and active communities on the site."
When Warner Bros. first announced plans to stream via Facebook, some questioned whether the social-networking site would be competing against streaming heavyweights like Netflix. PCMag Editor Lance Ulanoff wasn't so sure, and in a review of the "Dark Knight" offering, PCMag also found that the experience forgets to poke the social side of social networking.
Last month, Warner Bros. released "The Dark Knight" and "Inception" as iOS apps. Users can download an app and stream the first five minutes of the film for free on mobile devices, and then pay $9.99 and $18.99, respectively, to unlock the rest of the movie and a variety of special features.