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The American network AMC Theaters will no longer show films from Universal Pictures, after the announcement that the studio will make simultaneous releases in the cinema and on digital platforms. The decision was made after the success of Trolls 2, which raised $ 100 million in digital rentals and outperformed the first Trolls. The new distribution policy was announced by Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, to the Wall Street Journal: “When theaters reopen, we hope to release movies in both formats.“
In an open letter to the President of Universal, Donna Langley, the CEO of AMC Theaters, Adam Aron, stated: “It is disappointing to us, but Jeff’s comment and Universal’s unilateral actions and intentions left us with no choice. Starting today, AMC will not be showing Universal movies at any of its theaters in the United States, Europe, or the Middle East. This policy affects each and every Universal film, is valid today and when our cinemas are reopened, and is not an empty or reckless threat“(via Slashfilms).
The letter also states that the cinema chain will apply the same restriction to all the studios they choose “by unilateral abandonment of the current launch window“that is, begin to release their films simultaneously in theaters and on video on demand.
Among the studio’s upcoming releases are Fast and furious 9 and Jurassic World: Dominion. The study responded to the AMC Theaters boycott by saying that “In the future, we hope to launch new films directly in theaters and also on video on demand when this distribution model makes sense.Universal also noted that the launch Trolls 2 VOD was the solution found by the study with the current quarantine situation, which closed several establishments, including cinemas.
Due to the quarantine, AMC Theaters is in serious financial trouble and is likely to file for bankruptcy if the isolation in the United States continues for a few more months (via CBM).
After AMC, it was the turn of the group Cineworld, owner of the world’s second largest cinema circuit, Regal Entertainment, to threaten Universal. In a statement to Deadline, a company spokesperson said there was a trade agreement between theaters and studios. “that we are going to make clear again, without showing movies that do not respect the launch windows“Cineworld called Universal’s decision to release Trolls 2 on VOD.”completely inappropriate“and”devoid of good business practices such as partnership and transparency“
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