Edward Burns has released his new movie on the internet because he believes it will make more money.

The 40-year-old is convinced that making Purple Violets available on iTunes for $12.99 is more lucrative than releasing it in cinemas.

Burns - who wrote, directed and starred in the romantic comedy - said: "We released our film Purple Violets, which cost $4 million and was shot in 22 days, on iTunes a few weeks ago and we've already done such an enormous number of downloads and that's real money that's on the table.

"The financial gains are enormous [on the internet] rather than making a deal with a commercial distributor.

Explaining his decision not to premiere the movie in the conventional manner, he said: "The attendance in art house movie theaters is down like 54% in the last 12 months. Grace is Gone, a great film in Sundance [Film Festival] made $12,000, which is shocking.

"Whether it's the ease that DVDs show up in your mailbox, be it Netflix or movies on demand, or the fact that people have flat-screen TVs and HD, there's not the same need to go down to a theatre."

Purple Violets stars Selma Blair as a woman struggling with the pressure of becoming the next important American writer. The cast also includes Burns, Patrick Wilson, Debra Messing and Dennis Farina.