In what should prove to be an interesting marketing scheme, McDonald’s is dabbling in including DVD dispensing machines at some locations:

McDonald’s is experimenting with a new venture — movie rentals.

The DVD’s are dispensed from a big red vending machine about the size of a soda machine.

The machines, run by McDonald’s subsidiary Redbox Automated Retail, are being tried in Mickey D’s in six cities in an experiment to see whether they drive more customers into the stores.

Each “Redbox” holds 500 disks and includes a touch screen so customers can pick a movie, and a credit-card reader for paying the $1-a-night fee. They don’t take cash. Customers return the movies at the machine.

McDonald’s came up with the idea in 2003.

Rental chain Movie Gallery is experimenting with DVD rental machines, too, saying the machines will make rental transactions easier for customers and make its stores more efficient. (more

Kids love McDonald’s, and they love movies. They also love machines that dispense stuff. It’s my guess this could be a pretty successful contraption.