The Hollywood Reporter (Weekly)
Studio Execs Eye 2022 Film Slates: ‘Windowing Is Getting Very Tricky’
Amid a growing gulf between haves (anything Marvel) and have-nots (West Side Story), distribution chiefs are making difficult calls on which titles to send to streaming as early as 45 days after a theatrical run begins
When Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story opened to a dismal $10.6 million at the domestic box office over the Dec. 10-12 weekend, Hollywood was despondent. The next question: How quickly will the musical go to streaming if it doesn’t rebound in theaters?
West Side Story is hardly the only film caught in the crosshairs of a dramatically altered landscape that has seen the theatrical marketplace become a shell of itself because of the pandemic, at least for anything that isn’t a superhero movie or a film like
Free Guy that can rally younger male moviegoers in the 18-to-34 age group. Every studio is now having to figure out how early to send a movie to a streaming service to boost subscribers or to premium VOD.
Before the pandemic, theater owners could demand a 74- to 90-day exclusive theatrical window. No more. As the country emerges from the pandemic, the window being adopted by many in Hollywood is 45 days. Moreover, there’s nothing to stop a studio from abandoning ship and sending a title to the home earlier depending on its performance (in fact, Paramount sent Snake Eyes to PVOD at day 21 after it bombed this summer); conversely, a big tentpole film could stay in theaters exclusively past 45 days if it is doing well.
“There is no cookie-cutter approach anymore,” opines one studio exec. “I personally believe in the theatrical window, and there are movies that should be dayand-date. Windowing is getting very tricky.”
One by one, studios have announced that they could send most of their 2022 films to their sister streaming services as early as 45 days, although Disney is staying mum on an official basis. Warner Bros.’ The Batman, unspooling March 4, could benefit from not debuting day-and-date in theaters and on HBO Max, like the studios’ 2021 releases. And Universal made it clear the new streaming plan won’t apply to next summer’s tentpoles Jurassic World: Dominion and Minions:
The Rise of Gru. Many of the films going to Peacock around the 45-day mark are adult-skewing action pics — including the
Jessica Chastain ensemble title The 355 — and adult dramas, underscoring the precarious future facing any movie that isn’t a superhero pic or a mega-franchise installment. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Dec. 17) could open north of $130 million, as an example. “We should just rename all theaters Marvel,” quips another studio executive.
Insiders say there are talks
taking place regarding when to send West Side Story to the home. One reason to keep it only in theaters beyond 45 days is Oscar nominations, which will be announced Feb. 8 (more imminently, the film also is hoping for a Christmas bump). Another reason is Spielberg himself; he is a fierce champion of the theatrical experience. However, sources say he has indeed come around to the idea that the old window is likely shut forever and that West Side Story will be in the home far earlier than any of his previous films.
West Side Story is from 20th Century, which sends its movies to HBO Max even though it is now owned by Disney. But under a new arrangement, 20th Century titles can now also debut on Disney+ or Hulu. West Side Story is expected to be among those films that do, raising its visibility from a streaming perspective.
When the studio announced this year that many of its films would go to Paramount+ as early as 45 days after release, it included the next Mission: Impossible in that group but not Top Gun: Maverick. Both films star Tom Cruise, who, like Spielberg, is a fierce theatrical champion and could have been exacting some concessions. Says another source, “Sometimes, it’s still all about talent.”