This week, United Talent Agency’s IQ research group published an intriguing study on the impact of theatrical movie release on consumer viewing preferences. “The Symbiotic Future of Theatrical & Streaming” found that when consumers are making a decision on which movie to watch, roughly two-thirds of the 2000 respondents indicated that a movie’s theatrical window had “no impact” on whether they would choose to see it in theatres or at home.
The survey also asked consumers to identify the most recent films they remember seeing and almost all named movies that had appeared in theatres rather than streaming-only titles. This is more evidence of the positive impact that theatrical releasing has on the overall awareness of a movie and explains why streamers such as Amazon and Apple are now turning to theatrical releases, such as this weekend’s AIR from Amazon’s MGM Studios.