In July, AMC Theaters and Universal Pictures rocked the industry with their historic deal to collapse the traditional 90-day theater window until about 17 days before offering first-run features on premium VOD for about $ 20.
Direct insiders from the sector debated how the deal could undermine the already precarious health of the theater experience, with many arguing that purchasing the window would only encourage audiences to stay home.
But that ship is perhaps already sailed. In an exclusive new survey by Performance Research in collaboration with Full Circle Research, almost twice as many people said they would wait the full 90 days to see a must-see movie at home then express a desire to see it in a theater first see – even after filming theaters is generally considered safe if the coronavirus pandemic is ruined.
According to a survey of more than 1,000 people in the United States conducted between August 3-10, only 12% saw that they would probably only see a movie in a theater when there were 90 waiting to see it at home on premium VOD (on a price point of $ 20). Another 15% said they would probably see it in a theater first.
In contrast, 21% said they would probably wait to see at home, and 23% said they would definitely wait.
Cautiously, consumers ‘tolerance for waiting to see a film at home is growing because prospective theatrical windows are getting shorter: For a 17-day wait between theater and home versions for a must-see film, just 16% of’ the respondents said that they probably or absolutely choose to see it first in a theater.
However, the survey showed some interesting bright spot for exhibitors: There seems to be a negative difference for theater attendance between a 17-day theatrical window and no window at all, with 15% of respondents saying they were probably as sure will choose to see a movie in theaters, even if they could see it immediately at home. This suggests a solid deepening of core support for the theatrical experience, despite home display options that exhibitors can build in the coming months and years as COVID-19 hazards begin to diminish.
These questions were also answered about a generic must-see movie. When asked about their preferences for where and when they would see some of the most anticipated titles of the year – all the films that would have opened in the meantime were not there for COVID-19 – spoke a great deal majority of respondents prefer to watch those movies in a theater.
Among the titles under investigation, “Tenet,” director Christopher Nolan’s mysterious sci-fi thriller, had the most general preference for theatrical performance, while Disney’s “Mulan” had the lowest – though that may be due to the announcement during the investigation period. that “Mulan” moves to a premium VOD release on Disney Plus.
Whether that preference will translate to checkout return is another question. Only 16% of respondents said they only want to see “Tenet” in a theater; the majority, 54%, said they would rather watch in a theater, but they are also OK with watching the movie at home instead. The James Bond spy thriller “No Time to Die” and the Tom Cruise Air Force thriller “Top Gun: Maverick” enjoyed the strongest ride-or-die desire to be seen alone in a theater, with 18% and 19% respectively of the respondents.
There is one option for theater exhibition, however, with broad interest from respondents: Drive-ins. According to the survey, 42% said they were very interested in a drive-in movie, and another 31% said they were somewhat interested. Just 8%, meanwhile, said they had already done so since the COVID-19 pandemic began, suggesting a lot of unanswered demand is not being met. Studios and exhibitors would like to benefit from what interests consumers have in the theater experience. Do it well to pay attention.
