Following Sean Baker’s rallying cry, AMC is trying to get studios to back 45-day theatrical exclusive windows for films. With not much luck.
There’s a bit of a movement building once again, in response to the current state of theatrical exclusive windows for new film releases. Even huge hit movies, as we looked at here, are being made available in homes within a month of their cinema release. For those that don’t ignite the box office, they’re finding themselves on video on demand in under three weeks flat.
Sean Baker, collecting one of his four Oscars for Anora last week, was the latest filmmaker to call for the return of a 45-day exclusive period. He follows on from Quentin Tarantino lamented that films are barely getting a look in cinemas at the moment.
The turning point, of course, was the global pandemic, when a lot of movie studios got what they wanted. They were able to shorten the theatrical exclusive window given that we were all locked up at home, and when the world opened up? That theatrical window change was seen as pretty much permanent.
But is it? There’s a small but growing pressure on studios to give films more breathing space on the big screen, and AMC – the largest multiplex chain in the US – has joined the chorus. Granted, it’s got skin in the game, and granted, AMC hasn’t covered itself in glory in recent times. Yet perhaps a major chain or two taking a stand is a good step in the right direction.
Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC, told investors that “I sure hope we can introduce longer windows because I think the current industry experiment has failed”. AMC had brokered the deal with Universal in 2020 that saw the theatrical window for the studio’s films go down to 17 days in some cases, and is now trying to reverse things.
As The Hollywood Reporter noted though, AMC has apparently met with three studios about this, and been told “that ship has sailed”.
AMC is still set to continue to push for the return of longer windows though, but it’s got an uphill task on its hands. Perhaps a few more high profile filmmakers banging the drum might help…
