The availability of vaccines signaled a light at the end of the tunnel with respect to the coronavirus pandemic. Regardless, the world isn’t out of the woods yet. The rise of new COVID variants and falling vaccination rates have caused a spike in cases, resulting in the reinstitution of mask mandates and other safety protocols. Naturally, this has several people worried about the areas of business hit hardest by the pandemic, including movie theaters. However, it sounds like Warner Bros. and AMC are taking steps to ensure the survival of the theatrical experience.
According to Variety, the studio has just reached an agreement with AMC to shorten the theatrical window for its 2022 film slate. The announcement was made during AMC’s recent quarterly earnings call. Under the deal’s terms, new movies will exclusively screen in theaters for 45 days. After this, they will presumably make their way onto VOD and streaming platforms. WB previously came under fire at the end of last year for making their entire 2021 slate available to stream on HBO Max day-and-date with theaters. But in spite of recent events, the two parties appear to be more optimistic about the immediate future.
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Warner Bros. has five major DC adaptations premiering next year. The Batman, DC League of Super-Pets, Black Adam, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are all on the schedule for 2022. Additionally, the studio is planning to release Fantastic Beasts 3 next summer as well. It makes sense that the studio wants to maximize those films’ box office gains, especially in light of The Suicide Squad’s disappointing performance over the weekend.
The new deal technically isn’t the first of its kind. Back in April, WB made a similar pact with Cineworld, (owner of Regal Cinemas), which also guaranteed a 45-day window. On the same call with shareholders, AMC also confirmed that its locations will begin accepting bitcoin payments by the end of this year.
What do you make of the studio’s new agreement with AMC? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
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