Hulu Plus in Japan plans to premiere an upcoming movie via its streaming site prior to the film’s theatrical release. “Sougen no isu (A Chair on the Plains)” will be available February 19th on Hulu, four days ahead of its launch in theaters. However, the film will only be available on the site during a three-hour window for the first 1,000 viewers. Those not quick enough to access the full-length stream will be able to watch trailers and clips.

The film, an adaptation of the novel by Teru Miyamoto, is the first to premiere on one of the few video streaming services available in Japan. Hulu hopes it will help convince consumers to join the service.

“It’s a notable experiment, and made even more so for being conducted in Japan, where studios are notoriously reticent to offer their content in non-traditional ways,” according to The Verge.

Hulu has premiered television shows before their U.S. air dates, but has yet to do so with movies.

“Broadcasters love that kind of exposure because it helps to fuel the buzz for new shows,” notes paidContent. “The ‘Sougen no isu’ experiment brings up the question of whether this would work for movies as well. Maybe the limited Hulu premiere will one day replace the guy offering up free movie tickets in front of big city movie theaters.”