Zürcher Nachrichten - US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming

EUR -
AED 4.066612
AFN 79.215563
ALL 99.394812
AMD 432.612664
ANG 1.98204
AOA 1014.155023
ARS 1189.500856
AUD 1.771965
AWG 1.992881
AZN 1.875174
BAM 1.957667
BBD 2.233831
BDT 134.41822
BGN 1.950805
BHD 0.417314
BIF 3288.136516
BMD 1.107156
BND 1.47831
BOB 7.644292
BRL 6.235059
BSD 1.106355
BTN 94.452097
BWP 15.312607
BYN 3.620554
BYR 21700.259628
BZD 2.22232
CAD 1.560481
CDF 3180.859262
CHF 0.946635
CLF 0.027396
CLP 1051.311216
CNY 8.061812
CNH 8.029102
COP 4598.849665
CRC 557.431728
CUC 1.107156
CUP 29.339637
CVE 110.370281
CZK 25.083673
DJF 197.007924
DKK 7.461302
DOP 69.866645
DZD 147.22299
EGP 56.009032
ERN 16.607342
ETB 145.630515
FJD 2.562951
FKP 0.853305
GBP 0.845845
GEL 3.044842
GGP 0.853305
GHS 17.148358
GIP 0.853305
GMD 79.15417
GNF 9574.132655
GTQ 8.539145
GYD 231.460788
HKD 8.607236
HNL 28.306001
HRK 7.526893
HTG 144.768093
HUF 403.61159
IDR 18538.996806
ILS 4.095315
IMP 0.853305
INR 94.331358
IQD 1449.282454
IRR 46611.272281
ISK 144.306145
JEP 0.853305
JMD 174.256221
JOD 0.78486
JPY 161.608272
KES 143.000189
KGS 96.003282
KHR 4425.221168
KMF 498.772803
KPW 996.500324
KRW 1586.41177
KWD 0.340605
KYD 0.921979
KZT 554.629054
LAK 23967.862669
LBP 99189.688474
LKR 328.553403
LRD 221.271068
LSL 20.852891
LTL 3.269144
LVL 0.669708
LYD 5.350103
MAD 10.522237
MDL 19.758848
MGA 5045.813143
MKD 61.477868
MMK 2324.423262
MNT 3867.803674
MOP 8.864856
MRU 43.965939
MUR 49.832916
MVR 17.046744
MWK 1918.429968
MXN 22.10652
MYR 4.897502
MZN 70.758498
NAD 20.852891
NGN 1700.137728
NIO 40.708832
NOK 11.469517
NPR 151.123155
NZD 1.934047
OMR 0.426249
PAB 1.106355
PEN 4.062475
PGK 4.564354
PHP 62.941884
PKR 310.325616
PLN 4.228954
PYG 8876.46716
QAR 4.032847
RON 4.977439
RSD 117.164777
RUB 93.002193
RWF 1578.705909
SAR 4.153496
SBD 9.207478
SCR 15.833441
SDG 664.845779
SEK 10.833783
SGD 1.475906
SHP 0.870051
SLE 25.187838
SLL 23216.51111
SOS 632.303147
SRD 40.466832
STD 22915.896003
SVC 9.680234
SYP 14396.020325
SZL 20.860899
THB 37.756244
TJS 12.042387
TMT 3.875046
TND 3.385229
TOP 2.593067
TRY 42.079959
TTD 7.501155
TWD 36.393104
TZS 2945.035321
UAH 45.669864
UGX 4031.845931
USD 1.107156
UYU 46.73458
UZS 14288.62976
VES 77.67975
VND 28570.16325
VUV 136.810609
WST 3.136388
XAF 656.583307
XAG 0.035021
XAU 0.000356
XCD 2.992145
XDR 0.816579
XOF 656.583307
XPF 119.331742
YER 271.973297
ZAR 20.870474
ZMK 9965.736936
ZMW 30.728311
ZWL 356.503814
  • RBGPF

    69.0200

    69.02

    +100%

  • CMSC

    -0.2400

    22.26

    -1.08%

  • NGG

    3.6100

    69.39

    +5.2%

  • GSK

    1.3700

    39.01

    +3.51%

  • SCS

    -0.7200

    10.74

    -6.7%

  • RELX

    0.4600

    51.44

    +0.89%

  • RIO

    -1.4700

    58.43

    -2.52%

  • BTI

    1.6700

    41.92

    +3.98%

  • BCC

    -7.4400

    94.63

    -7.86%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0200

    9.78

    -0.2%

  • AZN

    1.7000

    73.92

    +2.3%

  • JRI

    -0.2200

    12.82

    -1.72%

  • CMSD

    -0.1600

    22.67

    -0.71%

  • BCE

    0.8400

    22.66

    +3.71%

  • VOD

    0.2500

    9.37

    +2.67%

  • BP

    -2.4700

    31.34

    -7.88%

US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming
US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming / Photo: VALERIE MACON - AFP/File

US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming

New films must be exclusive to movie theaters for at least 45 days before they become available on streaming, the head of the industry's US trade organization said Tuesday.

Text size:

Cinema owners say box office profits have been undercut by shorter theatrical-only "windows" brought in during the pandemic, in part as audiences now assume -- sometimes correctly -- that they can watch new movies at home within weeks.

"There must be a baseline," said Cinema United president Michael O'Leary, calling for "a clear, consistent period of exclusivity" of at least 45 days.

The action is vital to restoring the health of the entire film industry, he said in a keynote speech during the group's annual CinemaCon event in Las Vegas.

The industry has never recovered to pre-pandemic levels of moviegoers. Annual North American box office grosses regularly topped $11 billion in the 2010s, but have yet to get over $9 billion in the 2020s.

Before the rise of streaming, and the temporary shuttering of cinemas due to Covid-19, 90-day theatrical windows were standard in US theaters.

While accepting that those days will never return, O'Leary pointed out that countries that have maintained longer windows, like France, have seen better box office recoveries since the pandemic.

In North America, despite high hopes, 2025 has endured a disappointing start, plagued by box office flops like "Disney's Snow White" and "Mickey 17."

O'Leary also called for more "aggressive" marketing of films as "only in theaters," and asked studios to stop marketing "see-at-home" options while a movie is still in theaters.

"Windows that are too short, or inconsistent, only lead to confusion among consumers," warned O'Leary.

"The perception, or more importantly, the reality at times, that everything will be available on other platforms in a matter of weeks, undercuts the sustainability of the entire industry by negatively impacting the frequency of movie fans going to the theatre," he said.

Cinema United was formerly known as the National Association of Theatre Owners -- or "NATO" -- before officially rebranding last month.

"Having the same name as a multinational political military alliance... is not always seamless, particularly in today's world," said Cinema United chair Bob Bagby.

"Sometimes we've even gotten their mail, phone calls, confused visitors," he joked.

B.Brunner--NZN