Warner Bros. has begun delivering video content to countries without access to Apple's iTunes movie store, such as China and Brazil. The studio has launched a new service that will sell films as applications through the App Store, starting with the immediate availability of The Dark Knight and Inception.
Apps for both movies are currently listed for free, but you don't get the complete film, of course. The freebie includes a five-minute preview and some sample bonus material such as photos, trivia and a soundboard. There's also some level of Twitter and Facebook integration in the "share" tab.
You can purchase the full version from inside the free application for $9.99-$11.99, which includes the full movie with subtitles in multiple languages, behind-the-scenes footage, an art gallery, and an interactive soundboard. The film can be streamed over 3G/Wi-Fi or downloaded for offline playback.
Users have responded with varying degrees of interest, but some believe Apple won't allow movies to be sold as apps for long. Citing section 2.21 of the Apple Guidelines for Developers, a commenter on 9to5mac notes: "apps that are media-only should be submitted to the iTunes store instead."