Are Same Day Premiers the future?

[writer0327]

Saw this trending on Twitter and made me wonder....Is this the future of films releases, day and date drops in theaters and on VOD or streaming? I admit this is probably the closest thing to a win-win for the film industry going forward, but is it even sustainable? Can we still have our theaters and day and date drops?

Part of me says yes. I believe deep down, there will always be a social and communal element to watching films, much like sports, there's always going to be people that just want to experience it within a crowd. Just as there will always be people who only want to watch in the comfort of their own homes, especially parents of small children. Dinner and a movie date night is going to remain a thing for the foreseeable future. So this is the best of both worlds. Let it be.

And part of me says dropping movies at home and in theaters on the same day simply won't last, but I don't know which side wins out. Directors don't seem to want it. Studios do. But what do the consumers want and will they support it?

 

[DarkKnight88]

We’ve discussed this ad nauseam in other threads but simply, no. The theatrical window may shorten, but there won’t be day and date for the biggest films once the pandemic is over.

There’s too much money to lose. And the last thing people will want once this is all over, is to continue to watch EVERYTHING at home. To keep certain films special with a theatrical experience is important. We’re already seeing films come and go at the drop of a hat with streaming. Who wants that? What filmmaker wants people tweeting while watching their film opening weekend?

Consumers must be educated.

Please listen to this
Empire Podcast: Edgar Wright And Quentin Tarantino In Conversation

 

[Prison Mike]

Day and date releases will be there for the smaller releases but not the big blockbuster ones. I do think streaming content will be more rich and I think every studio should allocate certain amount of money for movies that are for streaming only (like how Disney is doing). I think studios will be more selective in what goes to theaters vs streaming.

 

[writer0327]

We’ve discussed this ad nauseam in other threads but simply, no. The theatrical window may shorten, but there won’t be day and date for the biggest films once the pandemic is over.

There’s too much money to lose. And the last thing people will want once this is all over, is to continue to watch EVERYTHING at home. To keep certain films special with a theatrical experience is important. We’re already seeing films come and go at the drop of a hat with streaming. Who wants that? What filmmaker wants people tweeting while watching their film opening weekend?

Consumers must be educated.

Please listen to this
Empire Podcast: Edgar Wright And Quentin Tarantino In Conversation

I see a major tug of war over this coming within the next 3 years. What moviegoers want vs what directors want vs what studios snd major media companies want. None are in alignment by any stretch, but day and date seems to be the only realistic compromise.

Question: what would you educate consumers on?

Thanks for the link. I'll definitely give that a listen.

 

[Filmfreak]

I don't see any sign of it yet. WB are the only ones who are doing this and that's because of both the pandemic and the underwhelming start of their streaming service. And even so, I don't think it has worked all that well for them, thus far. Let's see how the rest of the year goes first.

 

[metaphysician]

I don't think there will be any singular response, not for years to come. Everyone is going to want to watch WB as they walk through this particular minefield first, and take copious notes.

 

[MadVillainy]

For smaller movies yes, for blockbusters no.

As has been pointed out on here and many other places for years, the rise of streaming and the changes to the theatrical model are gonna effect the mid to low budget movies the most. Or at least the movies that barely scratch the 100 mill gross mark

 

[metaphysician]

For smaller movies yes, for blockbusters no.

As has been pointed out on here and many other places for years, the rise of streaming and the changes to the theatrical model are gonna effect the mid to low budget movies the most. Or at least the movies that barely scratch the 100 mill gross mark

You aren't wrong, but if I had to make a guess, the long term change on small budget movies is not going to be "day and date". Its going to me that they are never made for theatrical release in the first place, but produced for streaming from day one. Theatrical showings only happening afterwards if a movie shows enough popularity and demand, or as part of some form of "stream to your movie screen" business model.