Universal Pictures is already shaking the exclusive theatrical release window by sending its smaller and medium titles released in theaters for VOD just 17 days after they hit the big screen. So, Warner Bros. Pictures came along and took things a step further, releasing all of his 2021 theatrical films simultaneously on HBO Max for 31 days. Paramount Pictures is now the last to shorten the time its films spend exclusively in theaters.
As part of a Viacom CBS investor day presentation today, Paramount Pictures has announced that it will send box office hits as Mission: Impossible 7, A peaceful place, part II, and Top Gun: Maverick for the recently renamed streaming service just 45 days after it hit theaters.
Variety has announced the move to Paramount Pictures’ theater windows for its biggest box office hits. Top Gun: Maverick is scheduled to hit theaters in July 2, 2021, followed by A peaceful place, part II on September 17, 2021, and Mission: Impossible 7 on November 19, 2021, and they will all arrive at Paramount + just 45 days after those dates. Paramount Pictures CEO Jim Gianopulos said: “The public is changing their habits and we want to make sure that these films are available when they are fresh after a full season at the cinema.”
Among the recent changes in the windows of some of the major studios, this one is certainly much more generous for cinemas. It still cuts the traditional 90-day window in theaters in half, but it’s almost three times the size of Universal’s reduced window, and nowhere close to that of Warner Bros. Pictures is testing with HBO Max. Although the box office hits mentioned above have 45-day movie windows, many of Paramount’s releases will actually have 30-day movie windows. Unfortunately, a comprehensive list of which films will receive this treatment has not been made available at this time.
Paramount films will also arrive a little earlier than normal on pay TV. The studio struck a new deal with Epix to make many of its releases available in theaters for an exclusive 90-day period on EPIX before eventually becoming available on Paramount +. Keep in mind that this is different from a movie that will be available on VOD previously. The pay TV window comes after theatrical and VOD releases. In the case of the blockbuster titles mentioned above, Paramount + will have these films available for broadcast before that, but it is unclear whether they will also end up on EPIX later.
MGM is also getting comfortable with Paramount +, in addition to expanding its previous agreement with EPIX. Upcoming MGM films such as the James Bond sequel No time to die and Creed III will no have a reduced theater window before going to the broadcast. However, they will go on pay TV on EPIX a little earlier than normal, with the same exclusive 90-day window that Paramount Pictures films will have. Once this window is opened, MGM films will be made available for broadcast on Paramount +.
I think it’s safe to say that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the model of theatrical release forever. But it remains to be seen how cinemas will cope with these changes, once the coronavirus pandemic has been crushed and movie exhibitors are running at full capacity again.
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