Two giant North American cinema chains have decided to disrupt tradition by allowing Paramount Studios to offer a couple of trial titles to home viewers a few weeks after they appear in theatres, according to industry website Deadline.
US chain AMC and Canadian company Cineplex have agreed to let the studio make horror sequel Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension and zom-com Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse available via video-on-demand (VOD) just 17 days after the films are shown on fewer than 300 cinema screens. The Hollywood Reporter says this could potentially shorten the period between cinema exhibition and home viewing from four months to six weeks.
Exhibitors normally insist on a lengthy window between cinema and home viewing. The perceived wisdom is that people are less likely to go to the cinema if a film is available to watch at home. It’s thought that the rise of VOD services like Netflix has increased viewer expectations about faster availability of home-entertainment titles, an idea that’s caused consternation among exhibitors.
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