Twentieth Century Fox will allow customers to get their mitts on the latest new releases before they hit store shelves.
The new home entertainment service, christened Digital HD, kicked off Tuesday with the release of Ridley Scott's "Prometheus." Fox is allowing fans of the "Alien" prequel to buy the film three weeks before it premieres on DVD, Blu-ray and video-on-demand.
It is the latest move by studios looking to find new digital revenue streams to replace fading DVD profits.
Fox will continue to offer early digital access to new movies going forward, the studio said.
The new initiative also allows consumers to download or stream older Fox movies on connected devices via services like Google Play, iTunes and VUDU.
The service will be offered in more than 50 countries, Fox said.
"Prometheus" also marks Fox's first UltraViolet-enabled title. That adds the Fox to the list of studio backers that have signed on to the cloud-based service, which grants consumers digital rights to go along with Blu-ray and DVD copies they purchase.
