By: Christian Silva, Creative Director
Going to the theaters to watch a new movie with the incredible surround sound and high-resolution screens is something that is hard to replicate. Streaming services—such as Netflix and Hulu—have broadened our movie-watching experience, but do not provide the same experience unless you have expensive movie watching equipment. The popularity of streaming service subscriptions has no doubt increased over the years as the internet and smart devices become more capable and accessible. However, there is still something special about watching a new movie on the big screen with your friends and family.
As a movie theater goer, I had always wondered why movies never went instantly to home screens through paid-viewing fees or subscriptions. However, that curious inquiry may not live for long with the way the movie distributors may begin releasing movies to the public.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many major chain theaters—such as AMC Entertainment and Regal Cinemas—have closed temporarily, while many small theater businesses have been permanently lost.
The pandemic caused a shift in the movie industry not only with the in-person movie experience but with the production, release, shooting, and planning of all movies. Many movie distributors have pushed back release dates from 2020 to 2021, in hopes of better profitability, of businesses returning to normal, and of the reopening of the majority of theaters.
For example, Marvel Studios had originally planned to release Scarlett Johansson’s solo “Black Widow“ film on May 12, 2020, only for it to be pushed back to November and, later, to its current May 2021 release slot.
Additionally, the production and shooting of other Marvel Studios movies, such as the untitled sequel to Tom Holland’s “Spiderman: Far From Home,” were postponed or pushed back to later release dates.
“Wonder Woman 1984,” released in theaters on Christmas Day 2020, may have been the jumpstart to a new generation of movie experience and watching. For “Wonder Woman 1984,” Warner Bros opted for both a theatrical release, as well as an exclusive HBO Max streaming access.
The streaming access would last for a month after the film’s initial Christmas release, before being removed from the streaming service. HBO Max subscribers may watch “Wonder Woman 1984” for free and Hulu users may try a free HBO Max 7-day trial add-on to stream it.
“Wonder Woman 1984,” however, is not the only film that Warner Bros plans to release via this method. The company announced that their entire 2021 movie slate would be released simultaneously in theaters and via streaming. Warner Bros’ 2021 lineup includes a number of highly-anticipated movies, such as “The Matrix 4,” “The Suicide Squad,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” musical adaption to name a few.
The decision was seen as a bold move by distributor Warner Bros. While some smaller movies typically go straight to retail and digital without ever being shown on the big screen, an attempt at this tactic by a major movie distributer is unique. Competitors will surely be watching how this move plays out in the following year, discerning whether to join the movement.
Earlier, Disney Studios had made a similar attempt with the new, live-action adaption of its original 1998 animated movie “Mulan” in Nov. 2020. Rather than releasing it in theaters, Disney sent the film straight to its new streaming service, Disney+, where it was available with a “premier access” purchase. Via Disney+, “Mulan” did not make as much profit as the film had been projected to make with a theatrical release, leaving many to wonder if the stream-only release method may not be ideal for big distributors.
Under the current pandemic, the global box office and movie industry has certainly taken a hit in terms of profits. However, the changes that the film industry has made in the past year could revolutionize the future of the movie-watching experience.
If Warner Bros’ dual release to both theater and streaming is a hit, we could see more companies invest and attempt this method, resulting in massive changes to new movie accessibility. In future, consumers may not have to wait for a film to go from theatrical to digital release.
However, Warner Bros’ one-year experiment may also just be a temporary solution to releasing and watching movies during COVID-19. The spread of the coronavirus is still rampant in the United States, and—for the entire Hollywood movie industry—the box office revenue has been negatively impacted by theater closures. Currently, only a small percentage of theaters have opened back up for showings.
New film release formats could also influence the future of marketing, production, release dates, and wages, due to the revenue from theaters now being shared with at-home viewers. We will have to see how this year unfolds for all the companies taking new approaches and how much COVID-19 will continue to affect the film industry.
