Will COVID-19 end theatrical movies

[PCN24454]

It’ll definitely hurt, but theater releases will bounce back. There’s too much riding on them.

[Holt]

Wow, Covid is really going to kill movies as we know it. I wonder if Movie studios think they can put everything back in Pandora's box when this is done.

I don't think they do. I guess that's why recently Disney and AT&T have both been really loudly talking about how their streaming platforms will become major sources of their focus from here on out.

[WebLurker]

In a move that would have seemed unthinkable last year, Wonder Woman 1984 will be releasing on HBO Max the same day it does in theaters.

At least they're giving us a choice.

[numberthirty]

Bit stupid considering that Disney+ (with both Soul and Mulan coming out properly in December) is far more available at the moment around the world than HBO Max, which is unlikely to come out in the UK anytime soon because of Sky deals. So basically I'll have to figure how where the heck to see it since I have no idea if Cineworld is opening yet, though I guess this might convince them to do so if they can.

While I don't want to just knock them, it seemes like some of the "HBOMax" calls have not exactly been the smartest ones possible.

[Holt]

AMC circuit CEO and President Adam Aron did not have words of hate tonight toward Warner Bros’ (actually, let’s be honest, WarnerMedia’s) decision to take their $200M DC superhero sequel Wonder Woman 1984 into theaters and onto HBO Max on Christmas Day. Aron gave his thumbs up, saying that the movie will play at close to 1,000 of the chain’s multiplexes around the world.

Why so nice? And not as angry as he was when Universal closed the windows on Trolls World Tour? As Aron explains below, AMC “has been in active and deep dialogue with Warner Bros” and “atypical circumstances call for atypical economic relationships between studios and theatres.” I hear Warners will provide comfortable terms with those theaters who are able to stay up and running during the pandemic (because under 3K locations are only open this weekend coast to coast), taking 40% to 45% of WW1984‘s domestic box office as opposed to 60% on the first title. With AMC fully onboard, Warners can expect appropriate marketing not only for the DC sequel, but the HBO Max service. Cinemark, I hear, hasn’t closed a deal with Warners yet.

https://deadline.com/2020/11/amc-on-...ds-1234618460/


LOL the same dude who just months ago was red in the face and screaming about boycotting all Universal movies because of fucking Trolls.

[Havok83]

Bit stupid considering that Disney+ (with both Soul and Mulan coming out properly in December) is far more available at the moment around the world than HBO Max, which is unlikely to come out in the UK anytime soon because of Sky deals. So basically I'll have to figure how where the heck to see it since I have no idea if Cineworld is opening yet, though I guess this might convince them to do so if they can.

Its not stupid. Its just inconvenient for you.

[Derek Metaltron]

Its not stupid. Its just inconvenient for you.

And everyone else who lives in places without HBO Max. Should just have waited for a proper release window instead of being greedy because their service isn't anything as profitable as Disney+ yet.

[Havok83]

And everyone else who lives in places without HBO Max. Should just have waited for a proper release window instead of being greedy because their service isn't anything as profitable as Disney+ yet.

Is it greedy? They stand to make more money releasing it when this its more readily available to everyone aka when COVID cools down and theaters are back to functional capacity around the globe. Unfortunately that is unpredictable. The fact is that now that it will see a release next month, it will be available via home media so you will likely be able to view it on your own terms early next year, which wouldnt be the case if they continued to hold this back indefinitely

[Jim Kelly]

I think Warner is stupid to release WONDER WOMAN 1984 now, when they could wait and release it in theatres next summer, when I expect theatres will be open. Seems to me a lot of theatres are closed now and they aren't going to open just for the sake of one movie. Especially with cases rising every day.

Warner might just want to clear out their inventory--get rid of all this stuff they have from past regimes--so the new management has a clean slate for the post-pandemic era. So WONDER WOMAN 1984 is a write-off.

[Maestro 216]

I think Warner is stupid to release WONDER WOMAN 1984 now, when they could wait and release it in theatres next summer, when I expect theatres will be open. Seems to me a lot of theatres are closed now and they aren't going to open just for the sake of one movie. Especially with cases rising every day.

Warner might just want to clear out their inventory--get rid of all this stuff they have from past regimes--so the new management has a clean slate for the post-pandemic era. So WONDER WOMAN 1984 is a write-off.

Even when theaters open billion dollar movies won't just pop back up again.

[basbash99]

i interpret this being more about HBO Max badly wanting/ needing more subscribers than anything else. From what i've read, they are not even charging anything extra beyond the normal subscription price like Disney did with Mulan, plus they may only keep it on the service for 1 month... so guess they're hoping that a lot of folks subscribe for WW and then like what else they see on the streaming site and decide to stick around. I also wouldn't be surprised if this was part of what enabled them to finally make a deal for hbo max on amazon devices, and i wouldn't be surprised if a deal with roku isn't also forthcoming.

Otherwise, seems like with a vaccine potentially distributed in the spring, would make more sense to just put this out in theaters during the summer for potential big box office returns. I suppose that could still happen anyways, if the movie is good i could see people who saw it on HBO Max deciding they wanted to see it in theaters anyhow.

Also, don't get the complaints about other countries - my understanding was that this movie would be released in theatres internationally a week before it hits HBO max.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

At first, I was skeptical that the theater experience would go away, but the longer COVID goes on, the more I think it could be years, if ever, if people feel comfortable enough crowding into theaters again.

We may have to face facts that streaming and Blu-Ray will become the primary ways for people to watch their movies.

I think that the combination of COVID and too many streaming services will lead to a reversal of fortune for physical media like 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD. Yes, streaming is doing well right now, and will likely continue to do so in the future, but for those who don't want to subscribe to dozens of streaming services, being able to go back to physical media and just pick specific movies might prove to be a better option.

In any event, I'm getting more and more pessimistic about the future of the theater going experience the longer this goes on.

[numberthirty]

At first, I was skeptical that the theater experience would go away, but the longer COVID goes on, the more I think it could be years, if ever, if people feel comfortable enough crowding into theaters again.

We may have to face facts that streaming and Blu-Ray will become the primary ways for people to watch their movies.

I think that the combination of COVID and too many streaming services will lead to a reversal of fortune for physical media like 4K/Blu-Ray/DVD. Yes, streaming is doing well right now, and will likely continue to do so in the future, but for those who don't want to subscribe to dozens of streaming services, being able to go back to physical media and just pick specific movies might prove to be a better option.

In any event, I'm getting more and more pessimistic about the future of the theater going experience the longer this goes on.

I believe that you are seriously underestimating just how much kids just do not care.

Past that?

Illinois is really racking up the numbers, and the nearest Cinemark theater still had a half-full lot(sometimes more...) as of Tuesday.

[PD98]

At first, I was skeptical that the theater experience would go away, but the longer COVID goes on, the more I think it could be years, if ever, if people feel comfortable enough crowding into theaters again.

If people are really going to have to take years to feel comfortable in crowded areas again then why was there block parties when Biden won the election, standing in line for hours to vote, people still traveling for the holidays, or throwing a fit when Halloween and the parties/festivals related to it was canceled, people going to drive-ins just to see a movie with other people around. At most it would take at least a month once the CDC, WHO, and Fauci say the pandemic is over and people can go back to the way things were before March 2020. After all the moment we were told that gloves weren't necessary how quickly did people stop wearing them?

[basbash99]

If people are really going to have to take years to feel comfortable in crowded areas again then why was there block parties when Biden won the election, standing in line for hours to vote, people still traveling for the holidays, or throwing a fit when Halloween and the parties/festivals related to it was canceled, people going to drive-ins just to see a movie with other people around. At most it would take at least a month once the CDC, WHO, and Fauci say the pandemic is over and people can go back to the way things were before March 2020. After all the moment we were told that gloves weren't necessary how quickly did people stop wearing them?

I don't think it will take years.. but your examples aren't really great, either. Block parties were outside, which is viewed as being less risky than crowded spots indoors, and many apparently felt it was worth it to celebrate the defeat of the worst president in living memory. Standing in line to vote generally involved social distancing and in many cases wearing masks. People view getting together with family for the holidays as much, much more of a priority than seeing the latest blockbuster movie. Similarly, halloween is a favorite holiday for many americans, again certainly way more important to many than the latest blockbuster. Drive-ins are viewed as much lower risk than sitting in a theater.

So none of your comparisons are exactly apples-to-apples. But i do agree that once a vaccine is widely distributed we will probably see people willing to go to theaters again, assuming theaters can hang in there for another 6 months or so.

I mean,Tenet was the trial run and it didn't do well in the states. so obviously while people are willing to throw caution to the wind in some situations they aren't there yet (at least in large enough numbers) in terms of going to movie theaters.