![]() We're offering a 2-week trial of WrapPRO for $1. If you’ve been wanting to check out our full coverage, now’s the time. Greetings,Universal has thrown a lifeline to movie theaters. The studio's decision to immediately end its 17-day minimum theatrical window in favor of a longer 31-day minimum, and then move to a 45-day window in 2027, is welcome news for a theatrical industry that has been fighting on multiple fronts to keep their businesses afloat amid a slowly recovering box office. It's a sudden — and notable — change for a studio that's been one of the most aggressive in experimenting with windowing and audience habits coming out of the pandemic. NBCUniversal Chairman Donna Langley and other Universal film execs said the experimenting was necessary to gauge how viewing habits had changed longterm after the pandemic, particularly with cost-conscious customers who were more averse to going to movie theaters because of the spread of COVID and increased ticket prices. But the result has been damaging for theaters since it trained audiences to expect films to head to their televisions faster than ever. When Universal struck its deal in 2020, it was able to move its films from the theaters to premium on-demand in just 17 days. As our Jeremy Fuster writes, after all this experimentation, it seems that Hollywood studios are coming to a conclusion that Cinema United argued before they started tinkering: longer windows mean more home revenue — at least for the mainstream movies that do find theatrical success. It's a step in the right direction and for the movie theaters, any good news is welcome. Have a great weekend! Roger Cheng Before we move on, be sure to follow me on my socials linked below for the latest updates. DMs are open for tips.
With Universal expanding its theatrical windows, where do the other studios stand?...
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