‘Challengers’, Starring Zendaya, To Forgo Theatrical Release In France And Premiere On Prime Video Instead

etcanada.com:

“Challengers”, the anticipated tennis drama starring  Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and “West Side Story”’s Mike Faist, will skip out on a French theatrical release and premiere on Prime Video instead.

The streamer announced the move on Monday during an upscale press event held at the Pavillon Royal on the outskirts of Paris.

Prime Video’s country managing director for France, Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, stated that the decision was made in lieu of France’s strict windowing rules, which prevents streamers from making a new film available on their services until 15 to 17 months after its theatrical roll out. READ MORE: Zendaya Debuts New Hairstyle On The Set Of Upcoming Movie ‘Challengers’ “We’re a strong partner for French cinema and well-established talent.

We contribute to the National Film Board’s subsidy scheme, but streaming services have been incited to not opt for theatrical releases for our original films,” Ricou-Bellan told journalists, as per Variety. “Subscription-based services have been placed at a strong disadvantage compared due to this windowing system.” She noted that there’s currently “very active dialogues” to update the rules, which she “truly hopes will lead to more flexibility to benefit audiences and Prime subscribers in particular.” READ MORE: ‘Spider Man’ Producers Say Fourth Instalment With Tom Holland And Zendaya Is In The Works The executive added that Prime Video is “continuing to favour the expectations of fans and our members,” seemingly hinting that Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” won’t be the streamer’s last flick to surrender a French cinema release.