First there was ‘House of Cards’ on Netflix and before our very eyes the entertainment world was drastically changing.
Pardon the melodramatic lead, actually. People were making and distributing original content via YouTube long before Netflix made their move. But for a long time, these original shorts were independent filmmakers just releasing their work the only way available to them, as YouTube was still a blossoming network of streaming video, not quite yet the powerhouse we’ve all grown to know and love these past few years.
But now YouTube has created a streaming subscription service in ‘Red’ and is now working to populate it with plenty of reasons to sign up for the service. YouTube Red will be releasing several original movies this month, with the first round premiering Feb. 10, a major move, and frankly a pretty quick turnaround, from the initial news a few months ago.
From YouTube’s official announcement here are the films being released:
- A Trip to Unicorn Island: From the team at Astronauts Wanted, this feature-length movie gives fans an extraordinary look inside the life and journey of Lilly Singh as she embarks on a challenging 26-city global tour where she has to remember to practice what she preaches: Happiness is the only thing worth fighting for.
- Dance Camp: This feature film from AwesomenessTV weaves an amazing story of unlikely friendships, unleashing passions and discovering yourself all through the power of dance.
- Lazer Team: In this feature-length action-comedy from Rooster Teeth and Fullscreen Films, four small-town losers stumble upon an alien ship carrying a mysterious cargo, leading to a battle to save Earth from an all-powerful enemy.
- Scare PewDiePie: In this reality-adventure series from the creator and executive producers of ‘The Walking Dead’ at Skybound Entertainment and Maker Studios, experience thrills, chills and laughter as PewDiePieencounters terrifying situations inspired by his favorite video games.
As it stands now, it sounds like these releases will be solely U.S.-only for the time being until the service expands internationally.
YouTube Red is $9.99 a month for new subscribers.
