Cupertino, Calif. - Apple (NASD: AAPL) on Thursday announced that new release movies from the major Hollywood studios will now be made available for purchase and download from the iTunes Store on the same day as their DVD releases, and will be priced at $14.99. Participating studios include 20th Century Fox (NYSE: NWS), The Walt Disney Studios (NYSE: DIS), Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX), Paramount Pictures (NYSE: VIA), Universal Studios Home Entertainment (NYSE: GE), Sony Pictures Entertainment (NYSE: SNE), Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios.

New releases on iTunes this week include "American Gangster" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

The iTunes Store now offers over 1,500 films, including 200 in HD, with most catalog titles priced at $9.99.

Consumers can also rent both standard and HD movies, with new releases priced at $3.99/$4.99 (HD), and library titles renting for $2.99/$3.99 (HD).

Related Links:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/05/01itunes.html