Screendollars

 

Our Industry News Summary begins with coverage of the substantial changes last week in the theatrical release calendar. Understandably, exhibitors are anxious about Disney's decision to convert Mulan into a Labor Day release on Disney+, coming on the heels of its successful release of Hamilton over the July 4th holiday weekend.  Mulan was expected to be one of the top grossing theatrical releases of 2020.  Meanwhile, Warner Bros. appears committed to its staggered, worldwide release of Tenet to theatres, wherever they can safely operate.  We highlight comments from the CEO's of Regal and Cinemark on the pressure to reduce theatrical release windows.  Both of these mega-exhibitors are resolute in continuing to work with studios using a longer, traditional release window, despite the recent announcement from Universal and AMC that allows a significantly reduced (17-day) release window for Universal films.   We also discuss Friday's announcement by the U.S. Federal Court in New York in support of the U.S. Department of Justice's decision to allow the 1948 Paramount Consent Decrees to expire.   Every one of these news stories touches on fundamental changes afoot in film distribution.

The Gower Street analysts delve into the July upturn in global box office. While the numbers are still small in comparison to a typical summer month from prior year, July 2020 shows encouraging signs when compared with the results from the prior three months.  One factor which is significantly limiting better results is the lack of major new releases from Hollywood studios and this should be rectified over the next 4-8 weeks.

In the Hollywood Report, Martin Grove comments on the current emphasis on PVOD releasing from major studios.  Once theatres are able to fully re-open and resume operations, movies and audiences will flow back into theatres and PVOD will settle into its place as "just another option" used by certain studios for certain films.

We conclude with our regular film data tables. The Weekly Film Calendar provides detail on film releases through mid-October. We run down the latest release changes announced last week by major studios and distributors. We provide a list film ratings announcements from the MPAA and highlight important new trailers released last week.

Screendollars helps exhibitors stay informed about the schedule of Hollywood film releases, important industry news and how to maximize earnings from in-theater advertising. We encourage exhibitors to contact us to learn more about Screendollars in-theater advertising and marketing programs.