The $64 million question:
Is Universal Studios decision to make first-run movies available on pay-per-view the beginning of the end for mainstream movieplexes like of KC’s AMC Theaters?
“I agree, it could be a game changer of the way they release movies,” says KCC movie maven Jack Poessiger. “And since Universal did it, they’ve all jumped on board except Disney.
“The only thing is, some of the big boys have said that the big pictures – the Mulans – the big productions made for the big screen – they would still keep separate. Whereas the little films, they would offer day-and-date, because those smaller movies already have a hard time making it on the big screen.
“But some factions in the industry think that moving movies to streaming or pay-per-view without a theatrical window diminishes the value of the film to the general public.”
Right now, the new movies that have been moved to the small screen from shuttered theaters have been out for at least a week.
Raising the question of whether movie makers will now push unreleased movies into the future, like the new James Bond – or release them to Amazon and pay channels?
“That depends on what kind of movies you’re talking about – the Bonds or the Marvels,” Poessiger says.
Even if studios hold back the big fish and send the movie minnows to streaming, there’ll be the issue of how to keep a dozen or more movie auditoriums filled with new product.
“Oh yeah, they’re going to have to keep the screens full, and how do you do that?” Poessiger says. “Maybe by booking classic movies.”
All of that said, this isn’t the first time movie theaters have faced serious danger, extinction even.
“In the late 1950s television almost killed the movies,” Poessiger says. “But they fought it off with gimmicks – Cinemascope, 3D – they even got silly at times with ‘smello–vision.’ Of course, they didn’t have as much competition like they do now. Today we have Hulu, goo-goo, boo-boo and various streaming services.”
As for the current experiment with going directly to streaming and pay-per-view, look for that to to expand, Poessiger says.
“USA Today has a list of 10 movies that will likely stream,” he says. “Including Trolls early next month.”
Stay tuned…
