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That seems especially bizarre given that some of the other countries have managed COVID better than the US and have healthier box office as a result. The only way this choice makes sense is if Universal is using the theatrical release to boost the movie's profile for awards season.

Deadline has an interesting article about how MGM's hybrid approach for "Bill & Ted" is proving profitable. They did a couple novel things: On the PVOD side, they provided an ownership option right out of the gate that was cheaper than the rental options for many of the other cinema at home...

I know we disagree on this point, but I think putting movies out that underperform is more harmful to theatrical exhibition long term than having the theaters closed for a year or two. Cinemas, especially multiplexes, are not easy to convert for other uses. Some or all of the major chains may...

Enola Holmes was originally going to be distributed by Warner Bros. in theaters. But once the pandemic shut everything down, Legendary sold the distribution rights to Netflix instead. If that does well, I think we'll start seeing a lot of mid-budget movies shift to first run streaming. All of...

Not as much as it could have made if it had been allowed to open at drive-ins in areas of the countries where indoor theaters still aren't allowed to open.

My point was that it's an irrelevant comparison, because going out in public in general is less risky in those countries than it is in the United States.

The international markets that have reopened to date don't have 30,000-40,000 new cases per day, like the United States does.

This to me is insane. The edict essentially prioritizes the riskiest theaters over the least risky theaters, and the major chain conglomerates like AMC and Regal over the mom-and-pop independent operators who operate the vast majority of the remaining drive-ins. There's no question that a...

It'll be interesting to see whether Tenet drastically outperforms The New Mutants or not at the North American box office. Not sure how much of the opening weekend box office for The New Mutants was limited by lack of audience interest and horrendous reviews and how much is a hard ceiling with...

It looks like Disney played it smart with The New Mutants. A $7 million opening weekend in the time of COVID-19 feels like a huge accomplishment, whereas the roughly $14 million it would have been likely to make during normal times would have been a massive disappointment for the franchise...

Interesting that Disney is reporting grosses for The New Mutants, but MGM is not reporting new grosses for Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Got an email from Orion Pictures (MGM) with a link to a Bill and Ted 3 page that had preorder links to ten different streaming services on top and a "Get Tickets" link on the bottom. It looks like they really are serious about this hybrid release strategy. As expected, none of the big chains are...

The thread this year should be titled "2020 Versus The Boxoffice".

I strongly prefer the current situation for a multitude of reasons, but there was something magical about going to the video store as a kid, and the alchemy of deciding what to watch depending on what happened to be in when you went. I saw some great movies that I never would have given the time...

The thing I don't get about Universal's position is that they're acting like VOD premium rentals is a one-for-one substitution for the theatrical window, where they've traded up from roughly 50 percent of the gross to roughly 80 percent of the gross. But there's no way the the premium VOD window...

My local drive-in had petitioned the State government for an exemption from the stay-at-home order. Their plan for concessions was to have patrons place their orders from their cars using an app. They would get a notification when their order was ready for pick up, so that people weren't crowded...

The governor of Georgia is reopening all movie theaters on Monday in response to the president's directive that states should "liberate" themselves from stay-at-home orders, despite 18,157 positive cases in the state -- roughly where New York State was on March 25. Settling aside the...

That's it exactly. I do happen to live in a particularly high-price theatrical market, and I'm willing to spend $15 for a regular movie ticket. But that's a particular experience: Seeing a movie on a massive screen as part of a communal experience. The pricing for the digital home market is...

The new adaptation of Emma just went live on iTunes, and it's $19.99 for a rental. At that pricing, the movie theater chains have nothing to worry about when we leave the coronavirus behind.

My bad!

Universal Pictures has used the current crisis as an opportunity to opt out of the 90-day exclusive theatrical window. The Hunt, The Invisible Man, and Emma will all be available digitally no later than Friday. Future releases will be available digitally day-and-date with the theatrical release.

New York State Capitol building is closing to the public tomorrow. EDIT: Shit, thought I was in the coronavirus thread in After Hours. Feel free to disregard this irrelevant post.

Yeah, the Spanish flu eased off during the summer of 1918, but then most of the deaths happened when it roared back in the fall having mutated into a deadlier form.

The New Mutants might do well by virtue of being the only major movie not delayed due to coronavirus.

Most Pixar movies feel special. The marketing for Onward made it feel like every other CG animated children's film that is being cranked out.

The reason Jason Blum is so successful is because he does what the studios used to do before they became franchise factories: develop and maintain long-term relationships, nurture and support promising new talent, get behind projects he believes in, embrace more niche films with smaller budgets...

Paramount's gotta feel like its investment in redesigning Sonic after that much-mocked first trailer is paying off.

Who would have thought that Knives Out would still be in the Top 10 in its eleventh week?!?