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Black Widow Hitting Theaters and Disney+ Now On July 9


JayC

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Well, I have a decent, yet modest, theatre set up at my place so me and my friends will be doing a viewing party, and $30 will probably break down to like $2 a piece. Considering how much money we will be saving on snacks and drinks and that a beer won't be $12 (for those who want them), I'd say it's a clear cut win.

I'm cool with this arrangement and wouldn't really be all that upset if the big corporate theatres never come back online. I can't see really any scenario where seeing any movie isn't going to save me money (unless they start charging like $200 per showing), but just wait.

When all is said and done, I don't foresee that the movie industry, without some major restructure, will be able to survive using this model. I have a feeling, much like the airline industry, the movie industry will end up funding some shady ayass study by some "elite" university to determine that sitting in a theatre jammed with a buncha other people is somehow healthier than sitting at home with friends and family.

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Upon further reflection, it probably depends on how long the D+ access to Widow will last for the $30 price.  If its a month or two in which case i'll probably watch it at least twice then it might be worth it, especially since i like watching movies with subtitles on and the ability to pause for a bathroom break is nice too.  But if it only like a 48 hour rental or something then $30 is probably too much for me

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Great! I've been waiting for this announcement!

It's interesting to hear different perspectives. I think some folks are underestimating the amount of people in The USA who wouldn't even consider going to a movie theater right now- you couldn't PAY me $100.00 to see Black Widow in a movie theater. This movie cost, what, 150 million dollars to make? The domestic box office is going to be paltry. I'm totally cool paying $30.00 to watch the first MCU movie in over a year. And this isn't "the new normal-" seeing a theatrical film is its own unique experience, which many people would prefer for their first viewing of a new film. The whole $30.00 to watch a film at home thing won't be sustainable to any great degree once the pandemic is largely over. 

Also: Disney isn't going to start charging to watch Disney+ original series- they would have subscribers leaving en masse, and with SO MANY different streaming services these days, it's just too competitive. DIsney+ is cheap as it is- it's unreasonable to expect them to offer big-budget feature films that weren't planned as Disney+ originals for free or next to nothing. HBO Max is only doing that because their primary focus right now is building up their subscriber base, and they are crossing their fingers, hoping they maintain many of those subscribers after they inevitably stop doing things like that very often, post-pandemic.

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Im glad they decided to give us both avenues to watch it. I was expecting them to stick to their guns and keep it in the theatres and just keep postponing its release until they thought it was a good time to release it in the theatres. Id imagine they realized they are going to lose more money not showing it then to just kind of cut their losses by having it streamed as well as theatrical but having that premium price tag allows them to get some of it back. Im sure its also a test to see how that route goes. I also wonder if this kind of concept will continue indefinitely. Have it both streamed at a premium price as well as theatrical releases. It would definitely hit the home releases (blurays) a bit since it can just be streamed but they are still getting the money by having it be premium released. Either way im glad I ll be able to watch it instead of waiting for the home video release. Maybe this means Eternals and other marvel films already done will be moved up or released this way as well. 

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3 hours ago, monron999 said:

When all is said and done, I don't foresee that the movie industry, without some major restructure, will be able to survive using this model. I have a feeling, much like the airline industry, the movie industry will end up funding some shady ayass study by some "elite" university to determine that sitting in a theatre jammed with a buncha other people is somehow healthier than sitting at home with friends and family.

I don't think the studios are dying to get people back into the actual theaters as much as we might think. Disney does not pocket 100% of ticket sales for their movies. The movie theater or chain takes some percentage. If Disney makes the movie but another studio distributes it, that's more chipping into the final takeaway. Disney does, however, get 100% of the revenue from Disney+ subscriptions and the premium access purchases.

If they can calculate the number of subscribers they need, and the price of monthly or annual subscriptions, plus whatever premium access charge they need; and if you consider the studio will pay nothing for distribution, they don't have to split anything with the theater, and they probably pay less for marketing... well, I think they'll kiss off the movie theater chains and commit to the streaming plan. 

What I think is more likely to happen in order to maximize their profit, you'll definitely see the cost of a Disney+ membership increase. Also, the premium access fee for watching BLACK WIDOW or any other movie on day of release, will probably be a limited-time rental fee, so if you want to watch it more than once for the first six months, you have to keep paying. 

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8 minutes ago, RyanDaly said:

I don't think the studios are dying to get people back into the actual theaters as much as we might think. Disney does not pocket 100% of ticket sales for their movies. The movie theater or chain takes some percentage. If Disney makes the movie but another studio distributes it, that's more chipping into the final takeaway. Disney does, however, get 100% of the revenue from Disney+ subscriptions and the premium access purchases.

If they can calculate the number of subscribers they need, and the price of monthly or annual subscriptions, plus whatever premium access charge they need; and if you consider the studio will pay nothing for distribution, they don't have to split anything with the theater, and they probably pay less for marketing... well, I think they'll kiss off the movie theater chains and commit to the streaming plan. 

What I think is more likely to happen in order to maximize their profit, you'll definitely see the cost of a Disney+ membership increase. Also, the premium access fee for watching BLACK WIDOW or any other movie on day of release, will probably be a limited-time rental fee, so if you want to watch it more than once for the first six months, you have to keep paying. 

And let's not forget, even most box office flops end up breaking even or even turning a profit of DVD/Digital sales.

As far as multiple purchases to see the movie more than once, it's a similar situation. Seeing it twice at home costs far less than seeing it twice at the theatres.

I think you're right though. After so many years of carrying and promoting and purchasing their product, I don't think it's any skin of of Disney or Sony or any other company to watch the theatres drown.

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1 hour ago, RyanDaly said:

If they can calculate the number of subscribers they need, and the price of monthly or annual subscriptions, plus whatever premium access charge they need; and if you consider the studio will pay nothing for distribution, they don't have to split anything with the theater, and they probably pay less for marketing... well, I think they'll kiss off the movie theater chains and commit to the streaming plan. 

Whoah! Keep in mind, streaming isn't some beautiful new source of revenue studios can replace theaters with. It's part of a much larger equation. Theatrical run + merchandising + foreign sales + streaming + home video + product placement, etc., etc.

You can't just drop one and make up for it with another. Plus, I don't think you realize how much revenue a theatrical run generates.

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Actually, the Studios and Disney in particular, care a lot about the exhibitors (theatres) and their well-being. It's a symbiotic relationship that benefits us all for a number of complicated reasons, so I'll just touch on a few and simplify. First of all, the studio cut of the gate is generally in the 40-50% range. The most Disney has ever taken was around 65% for a Star Wars film and that was more about proving a point and flexing muscles than anything else. The studios and filmmakers make these films to be seen in the best possible way, and that is in a theatre. There's just no way it can be replicated at home. Even with a million dollar home theatre, you're still missing the crowds and the excitement that's generated as result. It's an experience more than it is simply entertainment. More on that later.

Secondly, the studios spend a ton of money on these films in both production and marketing (some of those giant cardboard standees you see in theatres can cost around a thousand dollars per unit!) and releasing them through the controlled exhibitor model maximizes their return. Streaming will never be an adequate replacement model because it makes piracy too easy. See Mulan's underperformance in China theatres after its Disney+ release due to pirating. Plus, Disney+ was not designed to make money off of subscriber fees, it was more about being a piece of the machine that helps drives a cross-promotion and cross-sales. The real money is in merchandise sales and theme park traffic. Even with increased subscriptions and the $30 surcharge, Disney isn't making nearly (not even close!) what they would have on these films if they'd released them through the exhibitor model.

The theatres themselves need reasons for people to come into their houses and buy other overpriced goods, and that's why some have become these entertainment venues full of games and attractions in addition to the first-run films on offer. Disney has really struggled and fought against investor pressure (their major shareholders are the ultra-rich entities that pretty much own the country) to release films outside of the exhibitor model. They've been doing their damnedest to reserve as much as possible exclusively for the theatres. Disney does not want to see any of these theatres disappear, but they also can't cause a "super-spreader event" by releasing a big film into theatres too soon. It's just a bad situation.

Finally, we all need the exhibitor model to remain simply because there is no adequate replacement for the experience. It is one of the last communal experiences our society has that doesn't lead to or cater to massive division. A night out at the movies tends to bring us together. Disney for sure understands this, and I'm sure the other studios do as well.

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It doesn't really matter if they show it now, next year or never. I know their trying to maximize their projected profits taking into consideration the present pandemic. But the world is evolving and before we go back to our old normal our viewing habits would've changed in the process.  The studios should quickly learn to adapt,  as well. 

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