Theatrical Future/PVOD Thread

[Mad Dog]

Generally the new release prices for major films are $29.98 to $34.98 for dvd's and 39.98 for blu rays. When you see a price lower than that (Walmart etc), that's because the retail
seller has received a point of service from the distributor and they're discounting the price as a sales leader, and only making a few pennys profit.. So that $30 for Mulan is actually right on the nose.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

If anything.... the amount of controversy the film has, the fact you're paying extra to watch it, and they STILL made $35mil is a good sign. Do that with Soul, honestly I don't think its unfeasible to say that they would make double the amount. Mulan has zero hype and only negativity surrounding it. Imagine if Soul has positive buzz, a la Hamilton? I think they make 50-60 million in the first week. Decent payback, especially for this year of all years.

 

[Nick]

If anything.... the amount of controversy the film has, the fact you're paying extra to watch it, and they STILL made $35mil is a good sign. Do that with Soul, honestly I don't think its unfeasible to say that they would make double the amount. Mulan has zero hype and only negativity surrounding it. Imagine if Soul has positive buzz, a la Hamilton? I think they make 50-60 million in the first week. Decent payback, especially for this year of all years.

I was going to say, I thought that that was only $35M WORLDWIDE where Disney+ is available, but then saw that the article mentioned US. That actually means if that is correct, that it significantly beat Tenet this past weekend. Then of course Mulan didn't just launch in the US, it launch worldwide on Disney+, which is available in a decent amount of countries and is continuing to expand.

It will certainly be interesting to hear whatever Mulan's numbers are at the earnings call later this year since they will have to disclose that information.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

I was going to say, I thought that that was only $35M WORLDWIDE where Disney+ is available, but then saw that the article mentioned US. That actually means if that is correct, that it significantly beat Tenet this past weekend. Then of course Mulan didn't just launch in the US, it launch worldwide on Disney+, which is available in a decent amount of countries and is continuing to expand.

It will certainly be interesting to hear whatever Mulan's numbers are at the earnings call later this year since they will have to disclose that information.

Ya, I think this is bad news for theaters the way I see it. There truly is so much controversy around this film and it still made nearly as much as Trolls just did on their first weekend, for a heavier price. If they put Hamilton up for that, huge numbers. I presume Disney is keeping a very large % of profits here too, more-so than in theaters. If Im Disney, I 100% do this for Soul this Thanksgiving, with a 2021 D+ free date. Perfect for Thanksgiving and and Christmas $$$$ and Im beginning to think making a profit with that $30 price tag, while still unlikely, isn't THAT unfeasible. Not likely, but people, especially families, will need something to watch. I don't see how Disney doesn't capitalize on that.

 

[Nick]

Ya, I think this is bad news for theaters the way I see it. There truly is so much controversy around this film and it still made nearly as much as Trolls just did on their first weekend, for a heavier price. If they put Hamilton up for that, huge numbers. I presume Disney is keeping a very large % of profits here too, more-so than in theaters. If Im Disney, I 100% do this for Soul this Thanksgiving, with a 2021 D+ free date. Perfect for Thanksgiving and and Christmas $$$$ and Im beginning to think making a profit with that $30 price tag, while still unlikely, isn't THAT unfeasible. Not likely, but people, especially families, will need something to watch. I don't see how Disney doesn't capitalize on that.

Well, charging more and making the same amount means less people purchased, but that aside, Disney is keeping 100% of the profits so yeah. I think Soul would do amazing on Premiere Access and i'd actually pay for it.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Well, charging more and making the same amount means less people purchased, but that aside, Disney is keeping 100% of the profits so yeah. I think Soul would do amazing on Premiere Access and i'd actually pay for it.

I think they care solely about the $$$ right now. Of course you need more people to watch in order to pay, but I think Mulan was never going to get a wide audience with everyone going on surrounding it. Soul is a better test, imo.

 

[Nick]

 

[shiekra38]

This reminds me of the beginning of the 90's when movie studios stopped doing "blank check productions" and walked back from the big budget films they used to do

Ironically, Jurassic Park came out right after this movement

 

[belloq87]

I think that article slightly mischaracterizes what the actual Sony quote is, and paints a slightly more bleak scenario than is guaranteed to happen.

The Sony quote doesn't say "when the pandemic is over." It says they want to see more theaters open with more capacity. The author then extrapolates that that must mean the pandemic has to be "over."

 

[Nick]

So with Death on the Nile moved to December 18th, and Black Widow and West Side Story delayed til next year, there's no blockbusters scheduled to release now until No Time To Die (which I expect to move tbh) and Soul (which may still go to Disney+). December still has a lot, but eek. Things are looking very bleek for theaters right now as many signs are pointing to them already operating at a loss and now they don't have another big release to show until Thanksgiving? I can't see theaters staying open in a climate where there's nothing to show.

 

[rageofthegods]

So with Death on the Nile moved to December 18th, and Black Widow and West Side Story delayed til next year, there's no blockbusters scheduled to release now until No Time To Die (which I expect to move tbh) and Soul (which may still go to Disney+). December still has a lot, but eek. Things are looking very bleek for theaters right now as many signs are pointing to them already operating at a loss and now they don't have another big release to show until Thanksgiving? I can't see theaters staying open in a climate where there's nothing to show.

Supposedly, some theaters are gonna start closing on weekdays, which might help overhead. Still, very much not an ideal situation.

 

[OLSinFLA]

I went and saw TENET open week. I was literally the only person in the theater. Not just the auditorium. In the whole theater according to the girl who took my "ticket". If Chris Nolan can't bring them in..... (BTW, I will say TENENT hurt my brain - lol)

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

I finally saw Tenet last night (I enjoyed it more than I anticipated based on reception!), and there were about 8 other people in my IMAX showing alongside me and some friends. While I felt comfortable because everyone outside my group was far away, the experience isn't something I'd like to be doing often with the pandemic still active. Thanksgiving is the earliest I'd return to theaters with the state of the release schedule, and even then, I'd still wait a couple weeks for "crowds" to die down.

Ironically, Death on the Nile and Black Widow were two of the trailers and had their October/November dates I definitely don't think theaters have a chance of reopening successfully until Christmas at the earliest. No Time To Die will probably get delayed again with the UK close to re-entering lockdown.

 

[Nick]

So the VP of the National Association of Theater Owners put out a statement, basically preparing people for theaters to close again. They are happy that Disney still seems committed to theaters though and didn't move their movies to Disney+, however.

“We need big movies…We’d hoped that Disney would hold on, but studios have to make their decisions based on their marketing spend and their marketing plan. If they aren’t certain that theaters will be open, they’re going to delay. We’re gratified that they’re moving and not going to Disney+. That’s kind of an important statement. But until we get some of that certainty, we may be seeing theaters close back down again because it’s really tough, if you don’t have new movies coming in, to keep the lights on. To keep paying people. You lose money being closed, but you may end up losing more money if you can’t get audiences in and you’re open.”

Corcoran continued: “If something doesn’t happen soon, you’re probably going to see theaters close down again until we have those markets [New York and Los Angeles] open and the studios ready to release films. We’ve still got late November and December that still have a fairly good footprint of titles, but it’s tough to get there.”

How Will Movie Theaters Survive Into 2021? Our 4 Burning Questions (And Possible Answers) - SlashFilm

As Disney pushes big titles into 2021, we can't help but wonder: will movie theaters survive?

www.slashfilm.com

 

[lowbudget]

One of the local theatres here has shut down "indefinitely". They cited lack of movies to show, but they weren't exactly the most popular theatre in town before the pandemic. We'll see if they open back up when a few new movies get released.

 

[Nick]

One of the local theatres here has shut down "indefinitely". They cited lack of movies to show, but they weren't exactly the most popular theatre in town before the pandemic. We'll see if they open back up when a few new movies get released.

There aren’t really any big movies coming out until November 20th as of now.

 

[Nick]

People are really risking their lives for a movie that can be seen with a Disney+ subscription and isn't really the type of movie to be improved by being on the big screen.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

People are really risking their lives for a movie that can be seen with a Disney+ subscription and isn't really the type of movie to be improved by being on the big screen.

For me, the only thing that improves the theatrical experience for me is the audience. And I doubt these movies have huge audiences.

 

[Nick]

For me, the only thing that improves the theatrical experience for me is the audience. And I doubt these movies have huge audiences.

Action movies for example, by nature, are better on the big screen than in a simple home set up (unless you have an amazing set up). A movie like Hocus Pocus though, nothing of value is gained by seeing it in a theater over seeing it on Disney+.

 

[TheGentTrent]

Here's the bigger news, that sadly, @Nick had pegged for a while now.

Cineworld Could Close All Regal Cinemas, U.K. Venues in Response to ‘No Time to Die’ Delay

Cineworld is shuttering all U.S. and U.K. cinemas this coming week, just days after “No Time to Die” was pushed to April 2021.

variety.com