Since the Coronavirus pandemic put the international film industry in check, forcing delays, changing plans and turning the plans of large – and small studios – upside down, the different companies began to look for alternatives to their distribution models that would allow them to continue receiving income while they faced the total or partial closure and restrictions on movie theaters.
Adapt or die
There is no doubt that one of the most controversial solutions reached was that of simultaneous premieres on the big screen and in streaming; a strategy that has put creatives and performers on the warpath – there is Scarlett Johansson as the main example – and that has not made the people of the American Motion Picture Association too funny.
In the framework of CinemaCon 2021, Charles Rivkin, president of the organization, has charged hard against the simultaneous premiere by pointing directly at the elephant in the room http://www.espinof.com/tag/, accessible within minutes of the launch streaming a feature film.
According to a Wall Street Journal report published on August 24, titles such as ‘The Warren File: Forced by the devil’, ‘The Suicide Squad’ or ‘Black Widow’ – properties of Warner Bros. and Disney- they became the most downloaded films in these channels shortly after being released on their respective platforms. This information was used by Rivkin during his conference in Las Vegas to reinforce his speech on the boom in downloads in the last year.
“In May, from ACE [la Alianza por la Creatividad y el Entretenimiento] We testify against a group called the NTG Release Group. When we managed to shut it down, NTG had been ripping movies since 2018, with 4,600 releases in the last year alone. Movies were uploaded minutes after they became available on digital platforms. “
The ‘Black Widow’ case
Beyond this, the CEO of the MPA used concrete examples such as ‘Black Widow’, directly relating its drop at the box office to torrents, and using ‘Fast & Furious 9’ and ‘A Quiet Place 2’ —both by Paramount, whose cinematic window is 45 days— as tokens of the benefit of traditional screening.
“There were pristine digital copies within minutes of its release on Disney +. ‘Black Widow’ was the most downloaded movie on torrent of the week ending July 12. This did not happen with ‘F9’ or ‘A Quiet Place 2’ How much money has been lost due to downloads from simultaneous premieres? All questions raised in the wake of Disney’s streaming premiere weekends are being answered quickly with the disappointing and anomalous results of ‘Black Widow’ .
Rivkin is clear: once the pandemic can be ended, the simultaneous premiere must disappear. Another thing is that there is a going back and the consumption habits of the current public can be modified again; more than willing to pay subscriptions and extra amounts to be able to enjoy your favorite titles from the comfort of your home.
“The most important answer is that the simultaneous premieres are an invention of the pandemic era that must go down in history alongside the pandemic itself.”
Via | The Wrap