Hollywired: Movies on the Net

So why is Hollywood scared to death of too much word of mouth, even if it's a virtual droolfest? Paramount, distributor of Tomb Raider, did everything but threaten a mummy's curse to prevent Y-Life from putting Jolie on our cover two months before the movie's release. Studio reps rattled on about "overexposure," but to any Net-head with one-click access to Tomb Raider spy reports, the concept of overexposure seems so... 20th century.

Judging from the Tomb Talkbacks on Ain't It Cool News, which grow more positive as the release date nears, Paramount has little to fear. That was important to producer Lloyd Levin. "I think the Ain't It Cool audience is part of the core audience for the film," he says, "and we're very concerned if something pops up there that is critical of what we're doing."

Garth Franklin, founder of Dark Horizons, says the studios fail to understand the motivations of Web-surfing cinephiles. "There's so much product coming out nowadays, the Net helps people be more choosy," he says. "If they're devoting a lot of time to a particular movie, they've already made the decision to see it." Jolie also seems to know which way is up: "There's an image about Lara, something she represents that people like and we hope to capture," she's said. "Lots of people love this game. We didn't want to dismiss that."

Bottom line: Raider makes an excellent test of Hollywood's assumptions. So, Paramount, let's make a deal: If Tomb tanks come its release, we'll back off the early coverage. But if it blows away the box office, you'll gladly get with it. Just remember: Once something gets out on the Net, there ain't no taking it back.

The visionaries of film, video, and animation have already set up shop online -- is Hollywood about to take the plunge? Our annual Hollywired report takes a look at where the industry is now and where it's headed.