NATO Chief John Fithian Heralds Return Of Theatrical Windows: “Simultaneous Release Is Dead As A Serious Business Model” – CinemaCon

deadline.com:

Theatrical windows are back as the pandemic wanes, and National Association of Theatre Owners President and CEO John Fithian was unabashed to underscore that.While it may sound like the same old tune, realize the major studios due to cinemas being closed during Covid, were bold in upsetting the industry model, with some continuing to experiment with day-and-date occasionally either on smaller movies or when they’re attempting to spike subscribers on their streaming services.“I am pleased to announce that simultaneous release is dead as a serious business model, and piracy is what killed it,” emphasized Fithian this morning from Caesars Palace Colosseum in Las Vegas to enormous applause.“At the same time exhibitors and distributors are continuing to work together to create evolving periods of theatrical exclusivity that maximize movies’ theatrical revenue and increase the perceived value to consumers when they go to exclusive home streaming,” said Fithian, “Even as they evolve, it remains the case that theatrical windows grow our entire industry.”Fithian’s observations weren’t one-sided for moments before his speech, Warner Discovery Boss David Zaslav on Discovery’s Q1 earnings call, also underscored his commitment to theatrical windows, realizing the financial upside; this after WarnerMedia practiced a theatrical day-and-dated strategy with HBO Max last year during Covid.“When you open a movie in theaters, it has a whole stream of monetization.

More importantly, it’s marketed. It builds a brand so when it does go to a streaming service there’s a view that (the title) has a higher quality that benefits the streaming service,” said Warner Discovery Boss.“Robust theatrical windows protect against piracy” said Fithian.“If a