European PS3 Owners Get Snobby Movie Service

Kris Erickson • May 19, 2010 • Comments ()

In North America we have the ability to stream Netflix movies on our PS3 consoles. We've also got buttery popcorn, jumbo hotdogs and cheesy nachos to enjoy while we watch our movies. The Europeans like their cinema experience to be a bit more sophisticated, so it makes sense that Sony has gone a slightly different route with the streaming options in that territory. This week at the Cannes film festival (of all places) Sony has announced a new highbrow film service for the PlayStation 3.

Called MUBI, the online service will bring a collection of over 300 films to the home console by auteur directors like Jacques Audiard, Pedro Almodóvar, the Coen brothers, Jean Luc Godard, Beat Takeshi and Gus Van Sant.

MUBI will also include some social networking features that allow users to talk about what they've seen and recommend new movies to others based on their preferences. The owners of the service boast that Martin Scorsese is himself a member; how cool would it be to get a personal recommendation from him?

The MUBI service is expected to launch this fall in the UK, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Other countries are expected to be included once the platform launches.

Full-length movies will be priced at £3 for UK users and €4 for the rest of Europe.