Cinema owners in the US are making a new push to keep films on the big screen for a longer period before they are available for audiences to watch at home.
Cinema United, a trade organisation formerly known as The National Association of Theater Owners, called on Tuesday for a minimum 45-day window of exclusivity for all films to help boost box offices still hovering below pre-pandemic levels.
"Shorter windows reduce the number of people that head to the theatre (cinema) in the opening weeks of a release," Michael O'Leary, President and CEO of Cinema United, said at the industry's annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas.
"It hits the bottom line, and in many cases, undermines the ability of medium- or smaller-budget movies to build an audience or even get off the ground," he added.
The issue has caused friction between cinema owners and media companies in the past.
It used to be standard practice that movies played only in cinemas for 90 days or more.
The rise of streaming and the pandemic led media conglomerates to reduce that period.
Today, a film can become available to stream at home - for a fee - as soon as 17 days after its cinema release. The timeframe varies for each title. In 2024, US and Canadian box office receipts totalled $8.6 billion, 25% below the pre-pandemic heights of $11.4 billion in 2019.
Cinema operators said their business would benefit from a consistent timeline, and they want studios to stop advertising the date a movie will be accessible at home while it is on the big screen.
"One of the most important things is to not announce the streaming date while we're still playing the movie," said Bob Bagby, President and CEO of the B&B Theaters chain. "That confuses consumers."
Hollywood studios have shortened theatrical windows to make money with at-home streaming rentals. They argue that many films have collected most of their box office dollars within a few weeks. Streaming service Netflix puts only a small number of its films in cinemas for a short period.
On Monday, Sony film executive Tom Rothman told the CinemaCon audience that "Sony will work with you" on setting windows and on pricing flexibility, although he offered no specifics.
"If theatres and studios manage for the long term and do the right thing, the future will be grand," said Rothman, the Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group.
Source: Reuters
