'Black Widow' Movie Release Plan Is Upsetting Theater Chains

[RandySF]

Walt Disney Co.'s decision to release Black Widow simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ has caused some major tension between the House of Mouse and movie theater chains across the United States.

Worried about surviving in a post-pandemic world, a group of theater owners is reportedly considering ways to push back at Disney, sources tell The Wall Street Journal. "We haven't made any threats," AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Adam Aron revealed to the publication. He added, however, that "it is widely known that AMC has threatened not to play movies if we could not find business terms that we found acceptable."

While Disney declined to comment about its current relationship with theater chains, the company said in the announcement about Black Widow's release that it was happy to provide consumers with more to safely see the film.

Tensions between Disney and theaters across North American appeared to reach a boiling point following the announcement that Raya and the Last Dragon would be released in both theaters and on the Disney+ streaming platform in March.



https://www.cbr.com/black-widow-release-plans-upset-theaters/

[Ocelot II]

1. I sort of flashed on black widow spiders being released in theaters,

which would definitely upset them, but I guess that's not it.

[LisaM]

2. Seems as if Disney could hold off.

I worry about the post-pandemic world. I like seeing movies in theatres, I like shopping in person, I like paying in cash for some things, and I feel as if there are forces that want to take all those things away and will use the pandemic as an excuse.

[qazplm135]

3. Black Widow has been held off for awhile now

it was supposed to come out about a year ago now. I can't fault Disney for finally giving up and sending it to Disney+

[LisaM]

5. I don't think anyone has a crying need to see it.

The theatres are going to need major help.

Our apartment is by a movie theater and we all get two free movie tickets a month with our rent. We just got a dump of a whole year's worth of tickets. Unfortunately, for me, the first movie back is the King Kong Godzilla thing, but these are the movies that out people in the seats. I guess my feeling is, of people can wait a year, what's a few more months? Disney+ probably did just fine off Hamilton, which I was looking forward to seeing in the theatre.

[exboyfil]

7. MCU builds upon prior entries

I think they have already moved some stuff around in the shows on Disney Plus. Movies are stacking up (just like car production). Right now late 2021 and 2022 is looking crazy for tent poles. Delaying also delays production on the next movie (for example the next Bond production could already be employing people if the current movie's release hadn't been delayed).


A lot of these movies are made with borrowed money. That money has a time value.

[LisaM]

9. Yeah, that's a fair point.

But I still don't want a post-pandemic world that is more siloed and more online, and I dread the future.

[qazplm135]

12. less travel

less carbon footprint, better for the environment, the old ways may have been more...social, but they are killing the environment, and cost more than they are worth.

You can divert all that money spent on movies to inviting over friends, have a party, watch it together with people you actually know.

[LisaM]

13. I live about a hundred feet from a movie theatre!

I do invite my friends to come over and help use my free tickets.

I mean over all, not just movies, and from the amount of stuff I see delivered to our apartment, delivery of online goods is a huge problem. There is a grocery store we can walk to, but people order from Amazon, and I remember a few years ago a couple of young women on my building had gotten packages from Sephora when you could literally see the mall with a Sephora store from where we were standing. There is a constant stream of trucks delivering packages, all day, every day.

Anyway, I can only fit so many people into our small city apartment.

[qazplm135]

15. ok great

and I'm a five minute drive away from two different movie theaters.

Doesn't change the fact every time we drive around town to massive meeting places, we use a lot of energy, and I'm not sure there's anything inherently necessary about going out to eat among strangers as there is eating at home with friends. Same goes with plenty of jobs that could be done from home instead of driving to a job site.

So yeah, it's not just movies, it's the entire commuter society we've built up.

[LisaM]

18. True, but people would have to drive to see me or vice versa.

Anyway, I walk, bus, or carpool almost everywhere. I can't remember the last time I was in a car by myself. I walk to the grocery, the eye doctor, I currently WFH, but before that I took a bus, and I'm darned if I am going to give up going to movies, theatres, games, and restaurants with other people when this is over.

[qazplm135]

19. it's not just you

right, I mean you get that it's about 330 million people in this country and 7+ billion people in the world.
So if you walk every single place, that's great. It's simply not relevant to the discussion on that scale.

[qazplm135]

11. it's not Disney's responsibility

to save theaters. Their responsibility is to make money for them. Some theaters will make it, some won't, but Disney shouldn't kill it's bottom line just so AMC has more security.

[RandySF]

14. Studios borrow money just like any other business.

And interest still accumulates as these movies sit on shelves. The $30 will actually save some MCU fans money as a one-time payment grants access to it so long as they have Disney+ and Disney gets 100% of the take.

[demosincebirth]

4. Raise the price of popcorn again, then they break even

[exboyfil]

6. At least Disney is doing Premiere Access

to push folks to theaters. That is more than Warner Brothers is doing with day and date to base HBO Max. They should have done PVOD for Godzilla vs. Kong - there is a good chance their box office would be even greater.

You do have to wonder why they are treating Pixar as a Disney Plus dumping ground. Next to Marvel that is their crown jewel. They are treating it like Direct to Video. Shouldn't they have flipped Raya and Luca (Raya being straight to Disney Plus while Luca being theater release/Premiere Access). You might think that Disney might be planning to go down to one animation studio (after starting the year with three).

Godzilla vs. Kong is doing pretty good box office given that folks can watch it and the rest of HBO Max for $15 for a month. Maybe Disney should have stuck with its May release date for Black Widow.

I think it will be difficult to see future movies with $200-250M production budgets unless something seriously changes.

[PJMcK]

8. Who cares?

The entertainment business has to adapt to a new paradigm. The pandemic changed how people get their entertainment. Coupled with the explosion of home theater equipment, the major studios have to adapt their business models.

If you can see the movies/shows/broadcasts that you want, when and how you want, does it matter if AMC has a full mega-plex? (Reference Blockbuster Video)

In the end, I don't really care. Do you?

[Ferrets are Cool]

10. The music industry had to change. So will the film/movie business.

You can't turn back the clock. When the majority of people would rather watch in the comfort of their homes rather than a theater, theaters will die, just like record stores.

[cinematicdiversions]

16. This is truer than people care to admit.

There will always be event theaters. But the 18 screen multiplex at the mall (Which is also disappearing) may be a thing of the past. Like record stores and bookstores.

[Ferrets are Cool]

17. This x 1000