Business AMC Cinemas bans Universal Films after comments on streaming - Major business has a tardfit.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52468881

The owner of Odeon Cinemas has banned all Universal films after the studio said it will release new movies at home and on the big screen on the same day.

AMC boss Adam Aron said the ban will cover its 1,000 cinemas worldwide.

It follows comments from NBCUniversal which said the film Trolls World Tour had performed well despite only being available on streaming services.

The move is damaging to cinemas as it will make it less likely people will visit a public screening.

The children's film is reported to have generated sales of nearly $100m.

Trolls World Tour was scheduled for release in cinemas at the beginning of April.

However, with cinemas currently closed because of the Covid-19 lockdown, it was offered as a Premium Video on Demand (PVOD) on streaming platforms such as Apple TV.

Jeff Shell, president and chief executive of NBCUniversal, parent company of the film studio, told the Wall Street Journal the film had "exceeded our expectations and demonstrated the viability" of streaming.

"As soon as theatres reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats," he said.

But in a letter to Universal Studios' chair Donna Langley, Mr Aron accused the studio of trying to "have its cake and eat it too".

He said: "AMC believes that with this proposed action to go to the home and theatres simultaneously, Universal is breaking the business model and dealings between our two companies."

He added: "Going forward, AMC will not license any Universal movies in any of our 1,000 theatres globally on these terms."

John Fithian, chief executive of the National Association of Theatre Owners, accused the film company of using the pandemic to alter the existing release structure.

"Universal does not have reason to use unusual circumstances in an unprecedented environment as a springboard to bypass true theatrical releases," he said.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionAMC owns the Odeon chain of cinemas
It has already been announced that another Universal film - The King of Staten Island - will have its premier on video on demand in June.

But there are a number of other major Universal movie releases which had been planned to be shown in cinemas later this year, including the next instalment of The Purge horror movie franchise.

Mr Aron said the ban could be extended to other studios if they chose to go down the same route as Universal.

Though he said: "Universal is the only studio contemplating a wholesale change to the status quo."

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Seems this business crashing CAN be blamed on Trolls!

 

[Antipathy]

Hopefully you like the next decade long twilight saga derivative or 'Transformers go to Hong Kong Pt IV'.

"Transformers go to Hong Kong, Tibet, and Taiwan, which are all happily members of the glorious People's Republic of China, under the benevolence of the CCP, which provides unlimited prosperity."

It's so fucking obviously going to come to this.

 

[haurchefant]

A good imax movie is pretty damn radical. Problem is, they aren't making many good ones anymore. The relentless pursuit of Chinese profitability kills off a LOT of interesting stories in the womb. Hopefully you like the next decade long twilight saga derivative or 'Transformers go to Hong Kong Pt IV'. Rereleasing great older stuff on imax is one of the more successful launches they have these days. Seeing that one batman movie on it was gorgeous. I can't think of anything really worth the $30 for a couple tix on anything that's come out in a while. Maybe bladerunner, but that's a couple years ago already.

Pretty much. The only Imax movie I watched prior to Bladerunner was a re-release of Raiders of the Lost Ark. And to be fair it looked fucking amazing, I loved it. Indy is great.

And that was it, jesus. You're absolutely right. I guess the local science museums have their Imax screens to have nature movies.

 

[breadandcircuses]

Shit Alamo Drafthouse has an entire business model based on getting people's asses in seats. AMC can't figure that out? Fuck that shit.

The local mom and pop cineplex near by is capable of doing the same by doing stuff like special showings of retro films on the big screen.

See Psycho the way it was meant to be! Or Casablanca! Etc etc etc.

 

[cypocryphy]

Freddy vs Jason worked well with a gaggle of loud fucks going "OH NO SHE GONNA GET STABB!" and stuff, too.

Slasher movies are always great in the theaters. I just hope I can see Halloween Kills this October one way or another.

 

[XYZpdq]

The local mom and pop cineplex near by is capable of doing the same by doing stuff like special showings of retro films on the big screen.

See Psycho the way it was meant to be! Or Casablanca! Etc etc etc.

I don't know for sure how easy it is to secure usage of a movie now that it's no longer "get a physical print in your mitts"

Slasher movies are always great in the theaters. I just hope I can see Halloween Kills this October one way or another.

godzilla and giant robot movies too
I was lucky enough to see Godzilla 2000 in a theater and basically camped out at the dollar theater while Pacific Rim was there

 

[breadandcircuses]

I don't know for sure how easy it is to secure usage of a movie now that it's no longer "get a physical print in your mitts"

My parents do it all the time. Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, a few others.

They also did midnight screenings of stuff like the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Troll 2, and the Room, as well as other cult B-Movies.

 

[XYZpdq]

My parents do it all the time. Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, a few others.

They also did midnight screenings of stuff like the Rocky Horror Picture Show, Troll 2, and the Room, as well as other cult B-Movies.

>parents
>The Room
fucking kids on mah lawn!
but yeah there was one summer the theater I went to for RHPS booked Heavy Metal, was around the VHS release in the 90s
another summer they booked a ton of random stuff, Ghost in the Shell, Lost Highway, Little Shop (the musical), Shock Treatment, lot of nice stuff
my parents told me of dusk till dawn Hammer marathons at the drive-in

 

[breadandcircuses]

>parents
>The Room
fucking kids on mah lawn!
but yeah there was one summer the theater I went to for RHPS booked Heavy Metal, was around the VHS release in the 90s
another summer they booked a ton of random stuff, Ghost in the Shell, Lost Highway, Little Shop (the musical), Shock Treatment, lot of nice stuff
my parents told me of dusk till dawn Hammer marathons at the drive-in

Apologies. I meant the theatre that my parents go to also does B-Movies. Not that they went and saw them.

 

[XYZpdq]

Apologies. I meant the theatre that my parents go to also does B-Movies. Not that they went and saw them.

seriously I've managed to handle some "damn kids" moments online so far but "my parents went to see The Room" is still a bridge I'm not sure I can cross yet

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Harkins Theatres has its issues (what theater chain doesn't tbh, although I really should check out an Alamo Drafthouse one day, but the nearest one is quite the drive), but what I like about Harkins are their Tuesday Night Classics. Those are the more well-behaved theater experiences, I've noticed, even if for some of them it's parents bringing in their children to see these older movies in a theater experience. But they're still good nights because the people seeing it actually love the classic movie and just love movies in general.

AMC can flail all it wants, I'll just keep going to the nearest theater which is a Harkins and get my money's worth just fine. And far as I can tell, Harkins has never done or said stupid shit like this.

 

[Niggernerd]

Seriously just bring back arcades. No one cares about movies and it'll help faggots leave their house more and socialize.

 

[Snekposter]

Arcades are dead for the same reason theaters are: too damn expensive compared to just playing the games at home. I don't miss them, and I grew up with them.

 

[Niggernerd]

Arcades are dead for the same reason theaters are: too damn expensive compared to just playing the games at home. I don't miss them, and I grew up with them.

Just learn to git gud and you'll just spend a quarter. Shit worked fine with me back then.

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

Movie theaters are disgusting enclaves of biohazardous filth, especially the major chains. I wouldn't particularly care if they all went out of business, got paved over and turned into parking lots.

The superior drive-ins can take their place.

 

[Mr. Skeltal]

I don't get IPAs.

Put way too much hops in the beer, so it's excessively bitter, step four profit.

I guess it's like "death pepper" wings. Some people just get off on ingesting nastiness.

When I'm drunk I may order an IPA if no other beer is on tap and it's cheaper than a mixed drink, but normally I don't go out of my way to drink turpentine. Double, triple, and quadruple IPAs are an absolute enigma to me, why would anyone want to drink that?