Although the main AMC exhibitor has traditionally been flexible about theatrical showcases, despite his public uproar against Universal last year, the chain’s CEO, Adam Aron, speculated today what the scenario would be like when we get out of this pandemic.
“What we learned from the Universal agreement is that each studio seems to have different wants and needs. I am hoping that there will be personalized deals that will be developed studio by studio, and differ circuit by circuit, ”said Aron, talking about how the major record companies are varying their standards for distributing films.
Aron’s comments come in the wake of comments by Disney CEO Bob Chapek on March 1 at a Morgan Stanley conference, where he exclaimed “I’m not sure there’s a payback” in relation to the way the films were released. . Chapek also covered his bases saying, “But we certainly don’t want to do anything like cut off the legs of a theatrical performance.”
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Just look around to see an example of what Aron is talking about: Last weekend, Disney launched the day and date at Disney’s cinema + PVOD Raya and the Last Dragon (which meant charging $ 30 for streamer subs). AMC managed to make a deal with Disney to shoot the film, but failed. Warners is showing its slate day and 2021 theatrical date for free to its HBO Max subscribers during the first 31 days of a photo, while Universal has a 17-day theatrical window before bringing a title to homes on PVOD.
Aron continued, “In recent years, AMC has indicated in private conversations with all major studios that we are willing to be the most experimental cinema circuit in relation to window strategies that were different from the traditional norm.” It’s true: AMC was the only major circuit to show Paramount’s 2015 films Scouts guide to the zombie apocalypse and Paranormal activity: the phantom dimension in a truncated experimental window that gave the network a share of the photo’s initial PVOD recipes.
“But we always set a benchmark: if we adjusted the windows, it would have to be good for AMC shareholders, not bad for AMC shareholders,” explained Aron, “And where we couldn’t close deals with studios on shorter windows, we resisted with all our strength. “
In general, in relation to the whole tendency of reducing the window, Aron said during the beginning of the question and answer session of the call: “This is an area where I feel very well”.
Aron remained optimistic about the return of box office tickets to pre-pandemic levels and cited NRG’s research on increasing the confidence of moviegoers to return.
Aron also praised his network’s internal “scientific” research among Stubs members. In a survey of 2,400 respondents, the answer was that going to the cinema was the number one most unique activity that people hope to do, among the 15 possible activities after the pandemic. Moviegoing remained 43% more popular than going to a friend’s house, 47% more popular than eating at a restaurant, 79% more than going to a concert, 138% more than a sporting event and 257% more popular than going shopping.