Go to the movies or wait? In the old days, if you missed a theatrical release , there was a slim chance of seeing it later. The first option was to see the film through cable television, either by paying for a channel that broadcast the film before the others or through a “box office” rental of the film, also by cable or satellite. The second alternative was to wait for its release on VHS or DVD. If you didn’t want to buy it, you could always go to a video store to rent the movie for a couple of days.
Today, the appearance of streaming platforms on the Internet has made this process much easier for us. Sometimes a movie can be streamed even while it’s still in theaters . And here some questions may arise: how long does a movie usually last in theaters? Is there a minimum number of days?
The average time of the movies in theaters
That a film lasts more or less time on the billboard is not something that is agreed upon before the premiere. The maximum broadcast time of a film on the big screen depends fundamentally on the influx of public that said film has.
Movie theaters tend to adjust their listings every week. The premiere of a new and long-awaited feature film can be the end point for other older films. These changes are made based on the data they collect , which is usually published in the middle of the week, between Tuesday and Wednesday. Based on this information, cinemas renew their agreements with distributors, cancel a movie or even open theaters with a split schedule in which two movies are broadcast at different times to make the most of the space.
Each cinema negotiates separately
The duration of a movie in a cinema can depend on the total number of rooms in said cinema. Some 16-screen multiplexes can afford to stretch a Spielberg film for two months, while another five-screen cinema will try to show the most recent releases to guarantee the influx of public to its facilities. However, the data shows that on average, a film usually spends about four weeks in the cinema . From the first two weeks after the premiere, the public that goes to a particular film drops sharply. The cinema will keep the film in very reduced hours as long as better releases do not arrive.
Is there a minimum time that a movie must be in theaters?
Well yes there is. If a movie is a flop, a theater may be required to screen it in its theaters. This is due once again to agreements with distributors.
When a contract is signed so that a film can be broadcast in a cinema, the minimum time that is agreed upon is two weeks . Once that time has passed, the cinema can decide whether to extend that contract or if it is more convenient to cancel it and try a new production.
The time also depends on the type of film
The more anticipated a movie is, the less it could last in theaters. Does this make any kind of sense? You are right. Expected Marvel movies tend to have a very specific and loyal audience . People usually go to the cinema in groups during the first or second week of broadcast. The fear of missing it and the fear of seeing a spoiler do the job of getting us to the movies quickly. Hence, the UCM films see their influx drastically reduced after the first 14 days from the premiere.
It will not be the same in a less expected film, with an older target audience and that gradually achieves its influx thanks to word of mouth. Added to this is another important fact. In the old days, theaters negotiated a margin with distributors. They could set lower prices for movies that had already been in theaters for a few weeks, thus improving their profits. However, the industry has changed, and margins are now often fixed .
Why are the sessions in VOSE so short?
Good question. If you want to see a movie in its original version , you will have to do it during the first days of its broadcast. Preferably the first weekend.
If you usually go to the cinema to these sessions, you will have noticed that they do not have as many influx as the theaters in which the same film is broadcast in its dubbed version. This phenomenon is even more accentuated in small cities. For that reason, these sessions are not as profitable for the cinema. They have their audience, but the move of occupying two theaters with the same film only pays off during the first week .
How long does it take from a theatrical release until it reaches streaming?
With the pandemic, the world of cinema has undergone many changes. One of them is that the time from when a movie is released in theaters until you can see it on the sofa at home has been significantly shortened.
Disney productions
Disney does not have a fixed time set from when a movie is released in theaters until you can see it on Disney +. However, they do have a great track record behind them that allows us to get an idea of the times they drive.
Disney animated movies typically release on Disney+ about 45 days after they first show in theaters. However, there are many exceptions . For example, Red , Lucca , and Soul premiered directly on Disney+ during the pandemic. Enchantment also failed to meet the plan to the letter, reaching Disney Plus members just 30 days after its theatrical release.
Regarding the productions of Marvel Studios , they usually take about 60 days from when they come out in theaters until they arrive at Disney +. Here too there are exceptions. Some have been launched after only 45 days and others have been put on the platform itself for rental in parallel with their premiere on the billboard.
Warner Productions
When we talk about Warner we refer to HBO Max , which is its digital content distribution platform.
WarnerMedia’s strategy is very similar to Disney’s. The objective of this company is that we can see its premieres on its streaming platform just 45 days after the premiere in theaters . Warner has also tried to experiment with the simultaneous release on HBO Max and theaters, especially in late 2020 and early 2021. However, the company had problems with releases like The Matrix Resurrections , because when it premiered on HBO Max, very few people were to the cinema to see it, thus ruining the other producers who could only recover their investment from the money raised in theaters.