Ever since the pandemic started, the film and television industry has been turned on its head. It has fundamentally changed how we view our content, whether it be movies or television shows. Since this all began, you probably have heard the term theatrical window thrown around a lot. Pre-pandemic, most theatrical windows were 90 days, which encompassed the entire time a film would run in theaters before it went to streaming or on Blu-Ray/DVD. Obviously, the pandemic was very hard on movie theaters in particular, and some are still recovering. A lot of films that have released during the pandemic have had their theatrical window shortened in half to 45 days. Is this good or bad for the industry?
Personally, I think the 45 day window will strengthen the industry. With the rise of streaming services, I think the traditional 90 day window has gone outdated fast. Especially with the pandemic, viewers are more eagerly waiting movies they want to see on their favorite streaming services in the comfort of their own homes. Last year, Warner Brothers made the unprecedented move to have their new movies release in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously, keeping them on the service for 31 days. While this move allowed people to see new movies from their homes, it was very unpopular in the industry with several directors coming out against it and expressing their disappointment. This also hurt their box office returns as well, leading to further criticism of the choice. At the time I think this was a good choice as movie theaters were either closed or had very low attendance, but this model is not sustainable in the long run. The studio ends up losing money, which hurts the industry. The new 45 day window lessens this burden a little bit. Movies still get a traditional release for a month and a half, and those who are uncomfortable going to the theater can wait until it hits a streaming service in a lot shorter of a time compared to if it was a 90 day window. So yes, the theatrical window is shorter. Will that hurt box office returns for movies to the point that studios should be concerned?
I don't think that the 45 day window will hurt the movie theater industry as strong as some people think it will. Don't get me wrong, seeing a movie in a theater is a fantastic experience. An experience I think moviegoers will continue to do, and for some that may be until after the pandemic is over. But if you really want to see a movie, most viewers will see it within those 45 days let alone 90 days. The only films I can see going past the 45 day mark are Oscar contenders since they normally release in the fall/winter, then get a boost from the actual Oscars telecast in the early spring. Take Spider-Man: No Way Home for example. Even with a pandemic going on, it soared to record numbers when it was released last month, and up until this past weekend, led the box office every weekend. It is already the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time (at time of writing) and it has only been in theaters for around 30 days. My point is: people who wanted to see the film have already seen it, maybe even two or three times. Most movies tend to have a drop off in their second weekend anyways, which furthers the point that most people go to see movies they want to see in the first weekend of release. I think its kind of a waste to keep a movie in theaters for 90 days, which delays renting or owning the movie and watching it from home. If anything, theaters were happy to hear that studios like Warner Brothers moved away from the same day release on streaming model, so for the time being everybody wins with the 45 day theatrical window.
Whether or not people prefer the 45 day window or traditional 90 day window, the 45 day window is here to stay. I think it'll be a nice change of pace for viewers, especially with all the content that is out there nowadays. What do you think of the 45 day theatrical window? Are you glad its shorter or do you think movies should remain in theaters a little bit longer? Let me know in the comments below!
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