Will COVID-19 end theatrical movies

[Username taken]

At this point, the studios literally will not have any choice but to release their movies onto streaming.

[Jim Kelly]

At this point, the studios literally will not have any choice but to release their movies onto streaming.

I think the main stumbling block for movie studios right now is that all the yet-to-be-released movies were completed before the pandemic and they signed contracts with distributors and services that laid out how the movies would be released. To put them on streaming they have to break that contract which involves penalties and legal negotiations.

Even though they would lose money, I imagine Disney and Warner would like to put these movies on streaming, to bring in more subscribers for their services. However, they can't do that without breaking contracts. For instance, NEW MUTANTS according to the Fox contract would have to go on H.B.O. not Disney+ or Hulu. So Disney either has to give up that property to their competitor or they have to negotiate a deal with them to get the rights back.

Once all these movies have been cleared out of the stockroom--which could take four years--any new movies will probably have very different deals that allow for unforeseen theatre shutdowns and other catastrophic events.

[Havok83]

Even though they would lose money, I imagine Disney and Warner would like to put these movies on streaming, to bring in more subscribers for their services. However, they can't do that without breaking contracts. For instance, NEW MUTANTS according to the Fox contract would have to go on H.B.O. not Disney+ or Hulu. So Disney either has to give up that property to their competitor or they have to negotiate a deal with them to get the rights back.

Assuming thats true, there is only 2 years left. Disney can buy it out and considering they are running into the issue of having a severe lack of original content, that wouldnt be the worst idea

[Joker]

Even if they don't have to break contracts, they'd have to renegotiate profit shares, and given that noting VOD is going to likely match it's theatrical numbers, I don't see that feeling favorable for the studios.

But what do I know?

[luprki]

I think the main stumbling block for movie studios right now is that all the yet-to-be-released movies were completed before the pandemic and they signed contracts with distributors and services that laid out how the movies would be released. To put them on streaming they have to break that contract which involves penalties and legal negotiations.

Even though they would lose money, I imagine Disney and Warner would like to put these movies on streaming, to bring in more subscribers for their services. However, they can't do that without breaking contracts. For instance, NEW MUTANTS according to the Fox contract would have to go on H.B.O. not Disney+ or Hulu. So Disney either has to give up that property to their competitor or they have to negotiate a deal with them to get the rights back.

Once all these movies have been cleared out of the stockroom--which could take four years--any new movies will probably have very different deals that allow for unforeseen theatre shutdowns and other catastrophic events.

I don’t see this as a legal problem for the studios. I am sure they have emergency clauses built into the contracts.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I don’t see this as a legal problem for the studios. I am sure they have emergency clauses built into the contracts.

An emergency clause for a once in a century pandemic that basically shut down the world? I doubt even lawyers could’ve had THAT much foresight.

[Gaastra]

We have a new release movie in first place in america. With amc and other big chains it only made so much however.


1. The rental
2. Karate kid (80s)
3. Goonies
4. Jurassic park
5. Zootopia

https://deadline.com/2020/07/dave-fr...ce-1202994990/

UPDATE SUNDAY AM, AFTER PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE: IFC’s Dave Franco horror movie The Rental is clearing $420,871 for the weekend from 251 theaters. Per theater average is $1,677. The movie is a solid 72% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. What’s amazing here is that this is arguably the second time during the massive exhibition pandemic shutdown that a new release after Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour, has topped the weekend box office. More impressive, it’s an indie movie.

Make no mistake, those movie theaters that are open and braving a marketplace of capped capacities are truly grateful for a new title like this.

China box office this week. Dolittle is first and bloodshot is second. Next week there is jojo rabbit and sonic.

https://deadline.com/2020/07/dolittl...en-1202994337/

[Vakanai]

Yes, people went out in drove, but we learned a hard lesson for doing that. Plus not enough people are going to go the a theater in droves to see a movie they can wait three months to watch safely at home.
Big budget movies will suffer with a small theater attendance. “Bill and Ted“ has just announced a simultaneously theater/VOD release.

Hahaha hahaha hahaha! That was a good one.
Oh wait you're serious! Have you not been watching the news? We haven't learned our lesson, most Americans are out there still trying to pretend like this isn't happening. As soon as we have a vaccine we're going back to normal, and we'll go back to normal fast.

Edit: Sorry if that came across as sarcastic, seeing so many people out there not wearing masks just makes my misanthropy spike.

[Havok83]

Hahaha hahaha hahaha! That was a good one.
Oh wait you're serious! Have you not been watching the news? We haven't learned our lesson, most Americans are out there still trying to pretend like this isn't happening. As soon as we have a vaccine we're going back to normal, and we'll go back to normal fast.

Edit: Sorry if that came across as sarcastic, seeing so many people out there not wearing masks just makes my misanthropy spike.

LOL...In Georgia the governer sued the mayor of Atlanta bc they disagree about the severity of the pandemic. Gov wants things to get back to normal (and many citizens there want it too) but its the mayor thats restricting things. Society has not learned its lesson. The way the US has handled this as been an utter embarassment

[regnak]

LOL...In Georgia the governer sued the mayor of Atlanta bc they disagree about the severity of the pandemic. Gov wants things to get back to normal (and many citizens there want it too) but its the mayor thats restricting things. Society has not learned its lesson. The way the US has handled this as been an utter embarassment

The protesters broke the lockdown. They assemble in numbers that don’t just surpass the local limits they obliterate them. You cannot let some ignore the lockdown and expect others to respect it.

[AndrewCrossett]

The protesters broke the lockdown. They assemble in numbers that don’t just surpass the local limits they obliterate them. You cannot let some ignore the lockdown and expect others to respect it.

Fine. That's a choice. Choices have consequences.

Nature decided there needs to be fewer people in the world. A large proportion of those people decided that they agree with that.

[Powerboy]

At this point, the studios literally will not have any choice but to release their movies onto streaming.

That will definitely change the nature of movies. If there was still one main streaming service, Netflix, it might be different. But with every studio wanting its own streaming service, most people just won't do that. They might go to amazon and rent a movie with 24 hours to watch it or whatever.

I suspect we'll still get movies that cost hundreds of millions to make. Who knows? Maybe without the overhead of splitting the money with theaters, they'll be even more profitable. But that would be more from rentals than people paying a monthly fee to watch everything.

Once we have a vaccine (and don't even get me started on these idiots for whom even a vaccine is part of their conspiracy delusion), I think theaters will start to make a comeback. The problem is the ones that can't survive being shut down for this long and can't go back into business.

[Havok83]

The protesters broke the lockdown. They assemble in numbers that don’t just surpass the local limits they obliterate them. You cannot let some ignore the lockdown and expect others to respect it.

And that is a symptom of the problems in America. It IS AN UTTER EMBARASSMENT

[AndrewCrossett]

In the hierarchy of utter embarrassments that are symptoms of the problems in America, I'd say that one ranks pretty close to the bottom.

[Havok83]

In the hierarchy of utter embarrassments that are symptoms of the problems in America, I'd say that one ranks pretty close to the bottom.

The fact that we still have to deal with systemic racism and the impact it has on minority groups is a pretty serious issue