AMC is at least getting a cut of the PVOD revenue though. OTOH, don't know what that'll mean for other smaller theater chains, et al.
_Man_
_Man_
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Going to the movies is changing.
I believe it is _ending_
Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is just an option to release on PVOD at 17 days. If a movie is performing well, they will keep it in theaters at let it ride. They just want to be able to put it on PVOD if it makes sense for that release.
To go back to my Greatest Showman example, it wasn't performing well at the beginning of its release. Its success came later into its run once word got around that people actually liked it. That won't happen if PVOD is in play because, purely going on its first couple of weekends, it didn't look like a hit in the making.
For that example you are absolutely right, but The Greatest Showman was certainly an exception, not the rule, for the box office trajectory movies usually take.
The problem is that the habit of going to movies has been broken by the pandemic. Many people will never get back in the habit because they now have an option to stay home especially with the potential for getting sick still very real. Introducing a way for people to see new theatrical features in their home will all but guarantee that many people will never go back to the theaters even after a vaccine is available.Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is just an option to release on PVOD at 17 days. If a movie is performing well, they will keep it in theaters at let it ride. They just want to be able to put it on PVOD if it makes sense for that release.
Another example that pops into my head is Booksmart.
I thought the trailer for Booksmart looked awful. You can check the thread. I was not interested. I didn't bother to go in the first week or the second week. It took a while for a friend of mine to convince me that it was worth going to after all. It ended up being one of my favorite movies of last year. If it had gone to VOD in this accelerated window instead of sticking around long enough for me to change my mind, I would likely not have seen it.
But 1) Why couldn't you have still seen it in the theater? Being available PVOD doesn't have to mean it gets pulled from theaters
2) Why wouldn't you have just discovered it at home?
Yeah, small movies never last long anyway but they'll definitely yank the small stuff once it switches to VOD.Yes it would. The theaters won't play something that isn't making them money, and once the PVOD switch gets flipped, people will stay home more, which will cause the box office gross to diminish and the movie to get pulled.
That's what it comes down to me too. Sure, a franchise or filmmaker that I like, I'll pay $20 for. And if I heard alot of good buzz about a movie, I'd take a chance but there's been a ton of movies that I've seen & enjoyed that I haven't much or anything about that I never would have paid $20 to see.Because I wouldn't have paid ~$20 for a rental of something I wasn't sure about. I eventually went and paid $8 for the theater screening, but $20 is too high unless it's something I absolutely know I'm going to love.
Yes it would. The theaters won't play something that isn't making them money, and once the PVOD switch gets flipped, people will stay home more, which will cause the box office gross to diminish and the movie to get pulled.
Movies are front loaded. Almost nothing has legs any more. I bet that even a movie like Avengers made more than half of its entire box office total in 17 days. Day 17 might as well be day 117 for theaters. Combine front loaded movies with an option to see it at home and anything after the third weekend is scraps.CNN
"For Universal, the studio is given the choice to release films for at home rental and purchases much faster than it has in the past. It can also keep films in theaters past the 17-day mark."
"That doesn't mean, however, that "F9" will pop up on NBCUniversal's new streaming serviceon day 18, but rather that consumers can watch it on a platform like iTunes at a premium price or in theaters."
I believe it is _ending_
Just out of curiosity, I took a look at Box Office Mojo and in the first 17 days of its run, Avengers: End Game made $723,745,643 (of a $858,373,000 domestic total). It ran 140 days total so in its last 123 days, it made $134,627,357 which is about 15% of its total. Making 85% of its total in the first 17 days sounds good for theaters BUT the problem is that that number will start dropping and never come back once people realize that if they wait less than three weeks, they can see the movie in their home and if it's a family or a group, they'll save money compared to what tickets cost them.Movies are front loaded. Almost nothing has legs any more. I bet that even a movie like Avengers made more than half of its entire box office total in 17 days. Day 17 might as well be day 117 for theaters. Combine front loaded movies with an option to see it at home and anything after the third weekend is scraps.
BUT the problem is that that number will start dropping and never come back once people realize that if they wait less than three weeks, they can see the movie in their home and if it's a family or a group, they'll save money compared to what tickets cost them.