Apple has started sending out emails letting users know that each week one select movie title will be available to rent for just 99 cents. This is an ingenious way to kick up usage of the rental store.

Just as their free ‘Single of the Week’ provides an incentive for people to use the iTunes music store, 99 cent movies will at the very least make a lot of people open iTunes to see what this week’s movie will be. If they like it, they’ll rent it, and perhaps rent or buy something else as well.

If these are available on the Apple TV as well (which I assume they will be), this could be yet another good reason to purchase that device – especially if Apple allows for HD films to be included in the 99 cent rotation.

The special pricing interestingly will only last from Thursdays to Mondays, rather than the entire week. Again, I assume if you rent a movie under this deal you’ll still have the 30 days grace period to start watching it.

The first film Apple is releasing with this deal will be The Hours – which I will be renting as I’ve never seen it – and for 99 cents, why not?

It’ll be interesting to see if this idea evolves into something like a discussion about the film of the week on iTunes or other sites, as so many people will be watching the same movie at the same time.

While this is definitely one strong incentive to use iTunes Movie Rentals, I’d still really like to see a rent-to-own system of some kind in place eventually.