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Pre-buys of unreleased movies are back in vogue, and USA Network has landed a big one: Paramount and Lucasfilm's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

USA is buying not only the latest sequel but the first three entries in the series as part of an overall deal that could cost the network $40 million, depending on the box office racked up by "Crystal Skull" in U.S. theaters. (USA's license fee is directly tied to the movie's domestic theatrical revenues.)

USA and Par declined to comment on the deal.

Paramount won't be releasing "Crystal Skull" until May 22, but the deal calls for USA to get its first runs of the previous three -- "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), "The Temple of Doom" (1984) and "The Last Crusade" (1989) -- in May as a marathon promotional vehicle for the new pic.

One reason USA was able to outbid its two main rivals, TNT and FX, for the "Indiana Jones" package is that all four movies are likely to play on both USA and its sister net Sci Fi Channel, with maybe even a run or two on its Bravo sibling. Paramount and USA are still working out the details of these extra exposures; USA is looking to amortize its license fee over at least three networks.

USA takes title to "Crystal Skull" in 2011, and during the course of the movie's multiyear license term, Paramount will get the right to sell a few runs to a broadcast net in a carve-out following USA's premiere group of runs.