Pandemic Changes The Concept Of Movie Showing, Cinema Networks Work Hard To Survive And Make Profits

Bioskop (Paolo Chiabrando / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The change of year is of course always associated with various new plans. Likewise in the film industry. Even though adaptations in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic have been carried out, there is always hope from film activists to show films in theaters.

The United States as the first market in the film industry has had to stop since the pandemic struck. Then, a streaming release is an option even though film activists still want to release it on the big screen.

Wonder Woman 1984 is one of the films that audiences have been waiting for. Recognizing the enthusiasm of fans, the Warner Bros. production house is preparing for a staged release to avoid the piracy that is increasing in the midst of the pandemic.

Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, England, and Indonesia were among the countries that had the opportunity to watch Wonder Woman 1984 in theaters. Warner Bros. also released the film via HBO Max on the same day.

Disney Pixar-produced Souls also air on Disney+ unconditionally. Previously, Disney+ released Mulan with the Premier Access concept where subscribers who had subscribed needed to pay again to access it.

Yesterday, Wednesday, March 24, Disney announced that Cruella and Black Widow will also be releasing simultaneously in theaters and streaming. They also use the concept of Premier Access.

Cinema Opens

Congress provides 900 billion in aid to entertainment venues and independent theaters in the United States. The National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), as the largest theater group representing various cinema networks, appreciated the steps of the Congress.

"With so many vaccines getting started, we see the hope at the end of the tunnel. There is a real chance that business can start getting back to normal in the spring", said John Fithian as president of the organization.

However, this assistance did not extend to cinema chains such as AMC Theaters and Cinemark which continued to open during the pandemic. Meanwhile, several others, namely Regal and Cineworld, have been closed since the pandemic emerged. Both will reopen in April with a series of preparations in the middle of the ongoing vaccination process.

The Warner Bros. production house is keeping a close watch, releasing the film streaming and in theaters this year. It seems that the WarnerMedia company is not entirely optimistic about returning to theaters.

Quoting ScreenDaily, there are still many countries that have closed their cinemas. However, some have opened regulations, for example, in Norway, which limits cinemas to 200 people. There is also a Serbia which is open with a record that it only operates from 8 pm to 5 am.

Cooperation with the Cinema

The strategy chosen by Warner Bros. to release films in theaters and streaming has sparked criticism from a number of parties. However, they have to do this because to adjust to the pandemic situation that is not over yet.

“Nobody wants a movie on the big screen bigger than us. We understand that new content is the lifeblood of cinema but we have to balance the reality that many theaters will be operating at less capacity during 2021”, said WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff.

It didn't take long, Warner Bros. announced that the concept of releasing a film in 2022 would be different from this year. Now Warner Bros. will let the film be released exclusively in theaters for 45 days before being added to the streaming service, HBO Max.

Likewise, the Universal Pictures production house. They work with the AMC network to release films in theaters for 17 days before being released via streaming services.

Although not entirely effective, cinema screenings are still a priority. Pandemic changed the concept of release, now cinema networks and production houses can only survive tinkering so that at least they can make a profit.