Of course, even that notion has not been one size fits all. Then again, not everyone owns a major SVOD service. Sony, which does not have its own streaming service (one could argue that Sony effectively freelances for Netflix at times), is still committed to an exclusive theatrical window, though its length has proven to be a sliding scale based on project and performance. In general, Universal Pictures and Focus Features have both vowed 17 days (three full weekends) of theatrical exclusivity — or 31 days (five weekends) if the movie opens north of $50 million. The two studios are owned by Comcast’s NBCUniversal, which has the struggling Peacock under its plumage. There are exceptions to every rule, however. Jennifer Lopez’s Valentine’s Day 2022 release, “Marry Me,” went day-and-date on Peacock. That one worked out: “Marry Me” was “the most-streamed movie we’ve had,” Comcast chief Brian L. Roberts said recently during Morgan Stanley’s Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. Barry Wetcher /© Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
There will be no changes to the destinations of current MGM film-slate projects, the spokesperson told us, like “Dark Harvest,” “Creed III,” and “Legally Blonde 3.” Historical MGM movies are even more complicated. In August 1986 Turner, which is still technically part of AT&T for the next few weeks, purchased the entirety of the pre-May 1986 MGM movie catalog (as well as the pre-1950 Warner Bros. movies and old “Popeye” cartoons). Soon, Turner parent WarnerMedia, which is also the home to Warner Bros., will be spun off from AT&T into a brand-new company merged with Discovery, Inc., forming Warner Bros. Discovery. So that’s who will own the first six decades of MGM classics. You would think things on the series side, which does not have the theatrical issue, would be simpler. They are not. Hulu
Additional reporting by Tom Brueggemann. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
