Though the 2021 release calendar is stacked with plenty of tentpole films, many of which were supposed to open this year, the pandemic remains ongoing and so theater closures continue both domestically and overseas – a situation that cannot continue indefinitely as exhibitors will simply run out of money.
Earlier this week Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi revealed that his chain, the third-largest cinema chain in the US and one thought the most able of the three to weather the crisis thanks to prudent financials, is hardly immune from the issues.
As a result Cinemark is now adopting dynamic rules when it comes to film exclusivity windows – basically they are ditching all the existing rules and Cinemark will discuss the theatrical window for each movie on a case-by-case basis, figuring out how long each will be. The upcoming Universal releases like “Freaky” and “The Croods: New Age” will therefore likely be shown in Cinemark cinemas along with AMC.
Zoradi also says the company is “always open” to considering showing films from Netflix and other streamers, but “it will always come down to the terms”.
The move just leaves Regal Cinemas, the most adamant supporter of the old theatrical window exclusivity model, as the outlier who hasn’t compromised yet. Currently it has shut down most of its theaters and seemingly won’t re-open them this year (though that could change).
Source: Deadline
