Amazon will now make films that will go to the movies

The Amazon studios made waves at the Sundance Film Festival last month, where they racked up distribution rights for a number of high-profile films, but it looks like Amazon is radically changing its feature film strategy. Amazon has long been considered a "gold standard" in film circles because of the way it deploys its original films. Rather than give up on a theatrical experience like Netflix, Amazon played by the rules of the theater, giving films like Manchester by the Sea and The big patient Robust movie theaters are broadcast at least 90 days before these movies are broadcast on Amazon's streaming service. Now, however, this is about to change.

As part of a profile on the new head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke in Variety, it was revealed that in addition to theatrical releases, Amazon Studios will also begin producing films that will debut exclusively on its premium subscription service and will completely forgo the theatrical release. This may be a blow for those who value the traditional theatrical release strategy, but it is a maneuver designed to drive up the number of Amazon Prime subscribers for the attack. competition.

Indeed, over the next 18 months, we will witness the fiercest and fiercest competition in the history of streaming. Apple will unveil its prestigious television and film projects on its own exclusive service; Disney + will serve as a refuge for families and will house original films and miniseries; and even WarnerMedia seeks to bring together various film and television projects from Warner Bros., which could mark the end of the series as friends be allowed to Netflix.

Faced with growing competition for streaming numbers, it seems that Amazon Studios aims to increase the number of memberships to Amazon Prime by attracting viewers with exclusive content. According to Mr. Salke, none of the movies bought by Amazon at Sundance this year will go unnoticed, but adds that they "watch a variety of windows". These Sundance purchases include pretenders like The report and Honey Boyas well as potential crowdpleasers like Late at night and Brittany runs a marathon.

But if that shocks those who, like me, still prefer the theatrical experience, I wonder if, between Netflix and Amazon, we will finally see movie theater owners abide by their strict rules regarding windows of theater. At present, most movie companies refuse to present films if they are not sure that these films will not be broadcast on a streaming service or in home video format for at least 90 days .

But Netflix broke its own "day-and-date version only" rule and put Roma a few weeks before its release on the streaming service, the answer was positive. The film has received many Oscar nominations and could even win the Best Film Award. Then you have people like Steven Soderbergh who is pressuring theater owners to launch a film on a streaming service a week after its theatrical release, if it looks like it will be a failure, using its own movies Logan Lucky and Messy as an example.

Movie theaters scrupulously respect their rule of the 90-day window, but the way we consume entertainment is changing rapidly, and Amazon rushing into Netflix waters with this streaming strategy is just another example. blow to the traditional distribution model. I do not have a clue as to what will happen next, or the likelihood that movie theater owners will change their minds, but I hope we can retain the experience of theatrical performance as an option for those who will choose to enjoy it.

What are you saying, guys? Do you think that Amazon will start making movies exclusively streaming, or do you prefer that they stay true to the traditional model? Will come more as Netflix finally increase Amazon Prime subscriptions? Sound off in the comments below.