AMC bans Universal movies in their cinemas. What does this mean for NTTD?

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/amc-theatres-universal-pictures-dispute-movie-theaters-1234592899/

I've seen some of fandom freaking out about this. If it accelerates the release, that means Bond 26 might come sooner. Right now I couldn't care less if it's seen in cinemas or not. It might not be worth the ticket price.

It could mean Universal release it both in other cinemas and on demand.

It could mean another delay, but highly unlikely given MGM's fragile state.

It should be noted that Odeon Cinemas is subsidiary of AMC.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/amc-theatres-universal-pictures-dispute-movie-theaters-1234592899/

I've seen some of fandom freaking out about this. If it accelerates the release, that means Bond 26 might come sooner. Right now I couldn't care less if it's seen in cinemas or not. It might not be worth the ticket price.

It could mean Universal release it both in other cinemas and on demand.

It could mean another delay, but highly unlikely given MGM's fragile state.

It should be noted that Odeon Cinemas is subsidiary of AMC.

Very interesting.  I came in here to see if anyone still thinks that theatres will be open by November, but now it doesn't seem to matter anyway.  Not that I was going to risk going to a theatre.  I'll gladly watch on-demand.

I think AMC is shooting themselves in the foot here.  The economy is going to be reborn in new and weird ways.  I think theatres are really going to suffer.  Once people get accustomed to not attending, many will continue to stay away permanently, due to the cost and the risk.  Banning a major content provider certainly isn't going to help.

Maybe we will see a summer on-demand release instead.  With luck we will be over the worst of the pandemic, and a summer blockbuster might really help buoy spirits while helping to reinforce the continued need to stay home and apart.

Read an article that said that the AMC chain was struggling even before the virus measures.

AMC is in serious trouble financially. My fear is that studios will use all the news as excuses to try and force streaming and ruin both theaters which are already a dying breed and more importantly physical media which is the only proper avenue for film presentation and preservation as streaming is just full of issues.

Heard that as well, BI. Not sure it's a smart move on AMC's part. Perhaps the AMC chain will disintegrate but the cinemas themselves will be bought out by other companies.

HGTB wrote:

AMC is in serious trouble financially. My fear is that studios will use all the news as excuses to try and force streaming and ruin both theaters which are already a dying breed and more importantly physical media which is the only proper avenue for film presentation and preservation as streaming is just full of issues.

Hope that's not the case. Should be noted that there seems to be a revival of the need for the material, especially for older films which Netflix and the like tend to ignore (pre 1970s). Perhaps DVDs will go the same way as vinyl.

In other news, there's now talk that NTTD will be released in 2021, according to the ever reliable Baz. Supposedly it's the big screen or not at all for Bond.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8276207/BAZ-BAMIGBOYE-Jodie-Cromer-sweet-playing-Miss-Honey-Matilda.html

This is all just posturing, which is a very film industry thing to do. Like that stand off between Disney and Sony over the Spider-Man deal where it was announced they would no longer make the films, only to hop back on the train together after making a new deal. The film industry loves being overdramatic, it's their shtick after all.

Interestingly, this wouldn't impact the US release because it's not being distributed by Universal but rather UA Releasing.

Okay, this is BIG.

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/universal-amc-theatres-historic-deal-windows-1234718737/

Quote :

Universal Pictures and AMC Theatres have put aside a bitter feud and signed a multi-year agreement that will allow the studio’s films to premiere on premium video on-demand within three weeks of their theatrical debuts.

The pact, sure to send shockwaves throughout the exhibition industry, has the potential to reshape the ways that movies are marketed and distributed. Rival studios are likely to begin pushing for exhibitors to grant them more flexibility when it comes to determining when and how their theatrical releases can make their way onto home entertainment platforms.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. However, in a statement, AMC’s CEO Adam Aron said the company will “share in these new revenue streams,” which means that it will get a cut of any money made on these digital rentals. Universal only has the ability to put its movies on premium on-demand, meaning the rentals that go for roughly $20 a pop. It cannot sell films or rent them for lower on-demand fees, in the $3 to $6 range, until three months after they debut in cinemas.

Wow ... we're a long way from when a movie's rental release was a good six months after its theatrical, and three years until it was shown on TV.

So in terms of NTTD's release, could it mean that it gets a theatrical release in relatively Covid-safe areas, and then three weeks later it can get a VOD release in others, since AMC will still receive a cut of revenue made from home rentals?

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

So in terms of NTTD's release, could it mean that it gets a theatrical release in relatively Covid-safe areas, and then three weeks later it can get a VOD release in others, since AMC will still receive a cut of revenue made from home rentals?

Someone on MI6 confirmed that NTTD won't be part of the deal, because MGM controls the digital distribution. The deal Universal made with AMC will only apply to films they control through digital distribution.

However, what Universal and AMC arranged is a can of worms. There's no doubt other studios and theater chains are paying attention to that arrangement and will start exploring that option. This may define how films are seen for the rest of the 21st century.

That's very good for MGM that they control digital distribution for Bond. Another source of revenue to help keep them afloat.

That reminds me. Since 2005, MGM has relied on Fox for home video distribution since their own operations have dissolved. That deal with Fox just expired in June, so they're going to need to find a new distributor or set one up themselves in order to put NTTD or any other title out on discs.

So Disney will release Mulan on PVOD, hoping consumers will pay $29.99 on top of their regular subscription fee to rent it (I believe for 48 hours), while other areas will have a traditional cinematic release.

If this is a successful endeavour, I imagine MGM might look at something similar. Many diehard Bond fans would pay this and potentially watching it twice or more within 48 hours. Others might see two people or more watching it once in that time period at the same time. Hence, I think it could be justified from a consumer's side of things.

The question that may arise is: on what streaming platform would a Bond movie be released on that is already highly accessible and that can set up a rental section?

For Mulan there isn’t a 48 hr window. Once you pay the $30 premium you can have access to it as long as you remain subscribed.

If the rumors of MGM looking to be purchased by Apple are true, then one avenue I can see is that NTTD becomes an Apple TV+ exclusive with a premium price on top of that. MGM already has made several 4K titles available on Apple. The other option is Netflix, which would reach an even wider audience since that’s been longer established than the relatively newer Apple TV+ streaming service. Amazon Prime would be another.

At this point though, nothing is certain. What Universal and Disney are doing is very risky and I think MGM being such a weaker studio would want to see how these digital experiments would play out before making a move. Disney can afford a potential loss on Mulan, MGM can’t afford any loss.

I imagine the issue is whether people who don't have Netflix, Apple, Amazon, etc. will sign up to it just to watch the new Bond film. Though a 30 day free trial might allow that.