Whether they ultimately decide to take the plunge is a question for another day. Look for Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony and Lionsgate to commence their own negotiations with AMC. When they have to wait three months to launch the same title on demand, it requires them to shell out more money to reignite marketing campaigns. It’s advantageous for them because movies generate most of their box office ticket sales within the first few weeks of release. Universal has been the most aggressive at trying to trim theatrical windows (Remember the “Tower Heist” experiment?) But nearly every other major studio, with the exception of “the house that Walt built,” has also wanted to be able to release their films on-demand earlier. Here are six burning questions raised by the Universal and AMC pact. It’s the kind of precedent-shattering pact that only came about because coronavirus has brought the theater business to its knees, limiting its negotiating power.īut it’s also an agreement that will have wide-ranging ramifications for how studios make films, how customers watch them and how cinemas and movie companies earn money. It’s only a matter of time before other theater chains feel pressure to sign similar pacts and other studios insist AMC and fellow cinemas allow them to release their films in the home earlier. One film executive speaking on the condition of anonymity rattled off a list of questions and observations: AMC is distressed and flirting with bankruptcy studios have to share profits with the theater owners at the very start of a film’s financial life cycle what happens when people aren’t locked in their homes anymore because of COVID-19? They’re trying to do what consumers want - which is to watch movies wherever.”Īfter the initial shock of the announcement, Universal’s competitors were skeptical about the immediate impact of the deal, citing all kinds of caveats.
“Universal isn’t trying to hurt movie theaters.
“This is a watershed moment for the entertainment industry,” says Rich Greenfield, a media analyst with LightShed Partners.
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