, Columnist
Wanda's Theater Flop
The entertainment landscape is changing and consumer preferences are shifting.
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Go big or go home could be Wang Jianlin's motto when it comes to movie theaters. The Chinese billionaire is now the world's largest operator of cinema screens, but just as another of his acquisitions awaits antitrust approval, consumer preferences are shifting to online.
To bolster its iTunes business, Apple Inc. is pressing Hollywood studios for faster access to new releases, while 21st Century Fox Inc. and Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures are looking to cut the time from a movie's exclusive showing in theaters to when it's available online or on DVD from about three months to as little as two weeks.