CHICAGO, July 16 — Amazon.com Inc said its first full-length feature film, Spike Lee’s “Chi-Raq,” wrapped up shooting in Chicago last week.
The picture, about urban violence, features Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, DB Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, Seattle-based Amazon said yesterday in a statement. The title is a mash-up of Chicago and Iraq.
Amazon Original Movies is the company’s latest foray into producing original content and follows the path of online-video rival Netflix Inc. The film comes on the back of several Amazon Studios’ original series, including “Transparent,” which won a Golden Globe for best comedy series. “Chi-Raq” will be shown in theatres and to Amazon Prime customers.
“It would be impossible to find a better filmmaker with whom to launch our studio,” Ted Hope, head of motion picture production at Amazon Studios, said in the statement.
The company is investing in video streaming and original programming to entice customers to join Amazon Prime, a US$99 (RM377)-a-year membership that also includes delivery discounts and music. Amazon doesn’t release specific statistics for Prime membership, saying only it’s in tens of millions. — Bloomberg
