Universal Theater Demand

Back in the spring, AMC theaters were pissed that Universal was putting Trolls: World Tour on demand instead of in theaters because of the pandemic. They banned the studio's lineup of films. A few weeks ago, however, the two made a deal and it is something that makes a lot of sense. Movies will be in theaters for 17 days before making it to on demand. After that, anything goes.

Maybe AMC had a change of heart looking at how the virus has impacted people. It does two things. One, it keeps the theater going individuals a little happy. They still want to go out and experience a new film the same way it has been for over a century. You also get the ones who fear the virus. There is a point. Do you think your movie theater is disinfecting the place after every screening? Better safe than sorry. Instead of waiting a couple months, you wait a couple weeks. It's going to be a win-win for both.

Times have changed in the last decade. We're seeing more original content on streaming and demand. Some of your smaller type content is getting to those places instead of the movie theaters. What could be a failure or modest fair could be a success in a different format. AMC could be allowing this to other companies, and I can't see some of them saying no at all. It should benefit a lot of customers. As long as the on demand pricing isn't stupid like what Disney is going to do with Mulan.

Movie experiences will be a whole lot different if other studios join in.

Mo Money, No Theater Run

Universal has done well with their Trolls sequel. There are reports that say it has made near or at 100 million dollar via the video on demand. There were statements from its CEO on potentially doing on demand with a theatrical release in the future on their movies. Obviously, backlash has occurred. AMC theaters and Regal have shown displeasure and the former is not going to allow their films in the future. At least what I would assume is a short ban. A ton of stuff in terms of accusations and just a bunch of crap.

I wouldn't want to gloat about how well the movie is doing so far. In this pandemic, that's the last thing to do or even mention what your intentions are in the future. At the same time, what could be considered for on demand and theaters at the same time. Because a lot of Universal's properties have been pushed back. Same for many companies. I'm going to assume licensing and wanting to make quick money with Trolls. There's no good answer to this situation.

There's probably more to this controversy and probably one that could get addressed soon. But Universal has to understand that not everybody is going to instantly go for demand. It has to do with where you are and prices for the movie theaters. Whether you're alone or have a family. If you're busy. Not everyone will think it's easy to justify 20 dollars for two days of viewing a movie. In that same token, AMC and Regal are not cheap theaters. Last year, for three people. tickets all together was over 30 dollars for a matinee. There's pros and cons for both sides. I'm sure this isn't far from over.

Things do feel like they are getting back to normal, kind of. But we're not out of this yet. Even considering the circumstances, these companies can get to fixing the relationships they have and hopefully we see the Universal films back in more theaters.