Troll 2 was released on VOD and had the biggest premium VOD launch ever (10x as high as the previous biggest VOD launch). https://variety.com/2020/digital/box...ut-1234578471/
Numbers aren't released for VOD, but speculation is that could be in the $60-90M range. Paying $20+ to watch a new movie at home hadn't caught on enough to really challenge the typical release methods with theatrical releases, but this is going to get some attention from studios that there's just as much money to be made with premium VOD releases. Technically, Trolls 2 did have a theatrical release in a few theaters which are still open which are mainly drive-ins. So, any contractual obligations would have been satisfied.
If Disney is hurting for cash with theme parks and cruise ships closed, then putting New Mutants out on VOD might be an option if theaters aren't reopening in June.
Edited to add: Disney has moved Pixar's Soul to 11/20/20 and the bumped the animated movie in that slot (Raya and the Last Dragon) to 3/12/21.
So, now The One and Only Ivan (8/14/20) and New Mutants are two largest Disney/Fox movies not to be redated. A Fox thriller A Woman in the Window also does not have a release date.
Last edited by ClanAskani; 04-13-2020 at 11:21 AM.
Cinemark is planning on reopening around July 1st (where permitted):
https://deadline.com/2020/04/cinemar...us-1202908960/
Likely the first two weeks of movies in July with be older films, then Christopher Nolan’s Tenet in the middle of July, then Mulan at the end of July.
I would love to see Disney schedule New Mutants for July 3 or July 10.
I'd be shocked. What the president thinks aside, we open things up too early and we're going to go back into Stay At Home in less than a month. There are some in the music industry saying we won't have concerts until 2021 let alone sports, summer festivals, conventions, and other similar events that would bring in more than 25 people in a small space. I know movie theaters are a different thing that they could likely police a bit better and control seating assignments and tickets, but you can say the same for sporting events which are likely not going to happen this summer.
Team Yana Bachalo Fanboy Cyclops Was Right
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/other...states-a174646
The White House revealed plans to start "Opening Up America Again."
"There will be three phases for reviving the economy, with the first phase revolving around re-opening movie theaters and gyms, but schools and bars will remain closed. Social distancing will have to remain in place, though, but it would be lifted throughout these phases."
Yep, several Asian countries are experiencing a resurgence of the virus after easing lockdown restrictions and finding they have to reverse course to get it under control again. So, until there's an effective and readily available vaccine, this is the new normal folks.
Bob Iger is on the California Recovery Task Force according to Deadline.
There's speculation about whether the major studios will schedule wide releases before all states open up theaters. California might wait longer to reopen despite there not being that many deaths here. But the fact that Disneyland is laying off most of their workforce is might make finding a way to reopen theme parks a higher priority than movie theaters, but California has been harder hit by movie theaters being closed due to all the major studios being based here. Studios could start pretty sizable layoffs in the next few weeks based on speculation from earlier in the month that if they can't start production and releases in late May or early June, the layoffs will start.
So I'm not sure if someone like Iger may try to stop that, or if they'll be under pressure to slow down these reopenings. It's just my hunch that even if Disney/Fox might want to release New Mutants in July, they aren't going to announce it until at least May or June because there will be a backlash from those who don't want anything opened up until there is a vaccine in a year or two.
Georgia is reopening theaters April 27.
Georgia is lifting the lockdown on 4/27, but it's unlikely theaters will actually start showing movies:
https://variety.com/2020/film/box-of...en-1234585289/
Some small mom & pop theaters could reopen since they're likely nearly out of business, but not the large chains.
The large chains could start rehiring staff, putting in new features like plexiglass barriers on the concession stand, removing seats, etc in preparation for opening. IMO, things like air filters and humidifiers might also be a good idea but I haven't seen much discussion of theater chains actually considering that.
They have to work on procedures and Georgia might be the test case. But the first hurdle is the legal question of whether people could sue them if they become infected. This is probably the biggest issue facing everything from Las Vegas Casinos to amusement parks reopening.
But at least some states are trying to reopen and we'll see what happens. Considering the lack of anything to show, probably even theaters in Georgia don't open to the public until the end of May at the earliest.
So interesting question...
If theaters slowly start rolling openings out do they just keep playing what they had pre-lockdown? Or would the companies be able to provide them with new titles? I know a lot of older theaters still run on reels so curious how they would make sure everyone gets started on the same footing.
Team Yana Bachalo Fanboy Cyclops Was Right
I dont see why any major studio would release a new movie in the theaters right now when the bulk of studios are shut down. Maybe some smaller indie films, not one from the likes of lets say Disney or Universal. They'd make more money holding it back till most are open or putting it for streaming on their platforms. Releasing a film now will likely encourage more piracy
My question was less about NM, and more about... if there are only a handful of theaters opening at a time, what are they showing? What's the point? Did they have a small stock of "coming soon" films stored ready for opening day (as in the music industry sometimes you'd have new releases a month ahead of time to help plan for the release day), or would it basically only be March's releases?
Team Yana Bachalo Fanboy Cyclops Was Right