Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Disney opts for digital-first release of Mulan, shocking cinema owners [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Disney opts for digital-first release of Mulan, shocking cinema owners
Mulan is first blockbuster to go straight to streaming in response to Covid-19 shuttering cinemas
Mark Sweney
@marksweney
Published on Wed 5 Aug 2020 16.13 BST
Disney’s decision to bypass cinemas and offer its latest big budget film Mulan directly to streaming subscribers for $29.99 could signal the beginning of the end for the traditional movie-going experience – and forever change the long-established business model underpinning the Hollywood blockbuster.
The surprise move has stunned cinema owners, who had been banking on the film, along with Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Tenet, to jump-start box office takings as theatre chains struggle to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The move is seismic given Disney’s utter dominance of the worldwide box office – the company made a record $13.2bn in ticket sales last year – with cinema owners believing it would be the last Hollywood studio to look at threatening the 70- to 90-day exclusive “theatrical window” they have enjoyed at the top of the pecking order for newly released films before they head to other platforms.
The Hollywood studios have used the pandemic to experiment with more digital-first output, though to date these straight-to-streaming releases have tended to be small to mid-size budget titles, or projects that the studios have lost faith in as potential box office hits.
-snip-
Mulan is first blockbuster to go straight to streaming in response to Covid-19 shuttering cinemas
Mark Sweney
@marksweney
Published on Wed 5 Aug 2020 16.13 BST
Disney’s decision to bypass cinemas and offer its latest big budget film Mulan directly to streaming subscribers for $29.99 could signal the beginning of the end for the traditional movie-going experience – and forever change the long-established business model underpinning the Hollywood blockbuster.
The surprise move has stunned cinema owners, who had been banking on the film, along with Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Tenet, to jump-start box office takings as theatre chains struggle to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The move is seismic given Disney’s utter dominance of the worldwide box office – the company made a record $13.2bn in ticket sales last year – with cinema owners believing it would be the last Hollywood studio to look at threatening the 70- to 90-day exclusive “theatrical window” they have enjoyed at the top of the pecking order for newly released films before they head to other platforms.
The Hollywood studios have used the pandemic to experiment with more digital-first output, though to date these straight-to-streaming releases have tended to be small to mid-size budget titles, or projects that the studios have lost faith in as potential box office hits.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/aug/05/disney-opts-for-digital-first-release-of-mulan-shocking-cinema-owners
12 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read