Movie Gallery Bows iPhone App, New Web sites

16 Nov, 2009 By: Chris Tribbey

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It doesn’t rent movies online or offer streaming and downloads, but the new iPhone app Movie Gallery launched Nov. 16 allows consumers to get instant movie recommendations, search for movies by title, actor or genre, watch trailers and find a Gallery or Hollywood Video store location.

The free app called “DidjaC” is available at the Apple App Store, HollywoodVideo.com and MovieGallery.com.

In addition, the No. 2 DVD rental service bowed new e-commerce sites that allow consumers to reserve (for rental) and purchase new-release movies and catalog fare priced from $2.50 per title.

The sites at MovieGallery.com and HollywoodVideo.com also offer enhanced store locator with GPS mapping, a gift registry for the holidays and a video game section that features information about in-store game rental promotions.

Gallery this week will begin testing in-store kiosks capable of delivering digital movie files onto secure digital (SD) cards.

Wilsonville, Ore.-based Gallery has been struggling to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving video rental market migrating towards kiosks and digital distribution.

Gallery, which is owned by a private equity group, has reportedly escalated closures of 450 underperforming stores through the end of the year, including 200 in-store Game Crazy locations.

Edward Woo, analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, said the shuttering of Game Crazy, Gallery and Hollywood Video locations underscores burgeoning financial concerns.

“To shut stores in front of the holidays indicates a retailer is having big problems,” Woo said last month. “They are facing the same problems with rental kiosks as Blockbuster, so it’s not surprising.”

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