NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell gave his take on Warner Bros.’s day-and-date distribution strategy for its 2021 films. He said that movie theatres have been “stuck in the mud” when it comes to defending the 90-day window. He cites a “growing segment of the population…that want to watch movies in a non-premium, way, which is at home… the more windows can collapse so there are other ways to see things at home in a less premium fashion, the more money is going to be made by everyone involved in the movie business.”
This analysis of course is heavily disputed by many in the industry and it’s worth keeping in mind this is coming from the head of Universal, the studio that started the streaming trend by releasing Trolls World Tour straight to PVOD. Universal has been pushing for streaming releases for years, but the difference this year is that the balance of power has shifted to studios making their own decisions, especially those which have in-house streaming platforms.
See also: Would Cinemas Be Hypocritical Playing Warner-HBO Max Movies After Continual Netflix Rebuff? Let’s Count Exhibition’s Headaches Right Now (Deadline)