Box Office Bends to Hollywood, Forever Changing Movie-Going
Grab your popcorn. The agreement between Universal Studios and AMC just introduced a major plot twist in the industry’s story.
A new movie distribution deal eases tensions between studios and cinemas, but will theater-goers return?
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
That sound you just heard is a window shattering, and Comcast Corp. billionaire Brian Roberts is holding the brick.
I’m talking about the theatrical window, that is — the period during which movies are available exclusively at cinemas before viewers can watch them at home. Instead of the standard time frame of 75 to 90 days, Comcast’s Universal Pictures is chopping it to 17 days as part of a game-changing agreement with AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., the biggest theater operator in the world. AMC will get a slice of the on-demand fees, though the companies didn’t specify how much. It’s only a matter of time before other exhibitors are forced to strike similar pacts with Universal, and other studios are likely to try for the same.