Research from analyst firm Parks Associates finds 25 per cent of US broadband households now prefer an OTT subscription service to watch new movies, while 24 per cent still prefer movie theatres to experience first-run movie titles. “Covid-19 has upended the traditional content-windowing process, and consumer research shows this paradigm shift is impacting consumer attitudes,” […]

Warner Bros Pictures Group has announced that it is “committed to releasing its 2021 film slate via a unique, consumer-focused distribution model” in which the studio will continue to exhibit its movies theatrically worldwide, while adding an exclusive one month access period on the HBO Max streaming platform in the US concurrent with the film’s […]

Ampere Analysis has published revised forecasts for global box office revenues in 2020, now just 25 per cent of the original estimate made in January, showing the devastating effect of coronavirus on the sector. At the start of 2020, Ampere forecast annual gross box office revenue of $44.5 billion (€37.1bn) globally, a stark contrast to […]

Sky has announced the acquisition of Blithe Spirit from StudioCanal UK. The film will be released in cinemas and on Sky Cinema on January 15th across the UK and Ireland, and will also be available on streaming service NOW TV via the Sky Cinema Pass. The fantasy comedy, based on the play by Noël Coward, […]

The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), representing European cinema operators, has responded to Disney’s decision to forego a cinema release for its upcoming Pixar animation Soul, and instead launch the movie straight onto its Disney+ streaming service on Christmas Day. It marks the third time during the pandemic that Disney has released a tentpole movie […]

The Witches is the latest film title that will skip a UK cinema release and instead premiere as a PVoD rental in homes. The adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl story, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Octavia Spencer, will be available to download from October 26th. Once downloaded, the […]

Nearly a quarter of Vue’s UK cinemas will shut for three days a week in the wake of the barren movie release schedule. Twenty-one of the chain’s 87 sites will be closed from Tuesdays to Thursdays as of this week. The move is necessary “to ensure that our business is financially well-placed to withstand the […]

The Walt Disney Company has announced that Soul, the new original feature from Pixar Animation Studios, will debut exclusively on the Disney+ streaming service on December 25th. Like Mulan earlier this year, Soul will forego a cinema release in all territories where Disney+ is available. However, unlike Mulan, the movie will not come at any […]

Cinema chain Cineworld has announced that it will be closing all of its 663 cinemas – 127 of which are in the UK, and 536 in the US – from October 8th. The decision puts some 45,000 jobs in limbo. The news came on the back of the latest James Bond movie, titled No Time […]