AMC Theaters (who also own UK Chain Odeon Cinemas) have vowed to no longer screen Universal Pictures movies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. That comes after NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell spoke about the success of Trolls World Tour on Digital platforms (it racked up $100 million on VOD platforms in just a few weeks).
"The results for Trolls World Tour have exceeded our expectations and demonstrated the viability of PVOD," Shell told The Wall Street Journal yesterday. "As soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats." In response, AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron hit back by making a decision it's hard to imagine them not regretting down the line.
"It is disappointing to us, but Jeff’s comments as to Universal’s unilateral actions and intentions have left us with no choice. Therefore, effectively immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of our theaters in the United States, Europe or the Middle East," Aron wrote.
"This policy affects any and all Universal movies per se, goes into effect today and as our theaters reopen, and is not some hollow or ill-considered threat," he continued. "Incidentally, this policy is not aimed solely at Universal out of pique or to be punitive in any way, it also extends to any movie maker who unilaterally abandons current windowing practices."
Universal responded to these comments by noting that, "going forward, we expect to release future films directly to theaters, as well as on PVOD when that distribution outlet makes sense," and added that they believe they made the right move by releasing Trolls World Tour on VOD platforms given the current climate and the fact that people at home are currently without entertainment.
AMC is already in serious trouble, and it's believed that they could end up filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy if these closures continue. However, even if they avoid that, not allowing moviegoers to watch the likes of F9 and Minions: The Rise of Gru seems like a dumb move, and is bound to hurt them.
Should other studios follow what Universal Pictures is doing, then AMC could be left with nothing to show!