antovolk

New release date change - looking like they're going back to tradition with an earlier UK/international release. September 29-October 1. Russia first country to announce: That week was freed up as Dune moved forward to September 15-17 outside the US (where it's still October 1 with HBO Max same day, and NTTD on October 8

Launching on D+ Star in Canada on April 9...which is the current UK release date (which if I'm not mistaken the latest theatrical date set for it?). Wonder if this ends up going to Star everywhere - UK, Australia, etc - on the 9th?

WW84 *and* The Little Things have just been announced as both going straight to home ent in France - Blu-ray/DVD on April 7, VOD probably a couple weeks before. Sounds like 'delay for two months then screw it, take it straight to VOD' is the Europe-wide strategy for these WB/HBO Max titles. So at this rate, UK isn't gonna get Little Things until late March, Judas until mid-April and GVK until...late May, maybe cinemas open earlier and it comes out with reopenings.

UK now also moved to September

Feige reportedly against a D+ hybrid release.

to me - sounds like they’ll push. Raya they’ll get away with because a lot of Europe including UK will still be closed so that’s effectively just a D+ PVOD launch and Mulan and Soul happened. UK/Europe exhibitors are currently working out 20-30 day window arrangements with the studios - and while WW84 was a watershed moment, it was really one just for the US and Canada. Theater owners elsewhere appear to be fighting tooth and nail to keep any such moves just to the U.S. and Canada this year. If Disney could take this to D+ *only* in North America, maybe it could happen, but they won’t do that, it has to be everywhere the service is active.

Skipping cinemas in Germany too

Some movement on international implications of the HBO Max thing - in Germany, WB agreed to a new 28-day window with exhibitors (once they reopen of course). Judas and The Little Things confirmed to head to Sky following their theatrical release, while WW84 is abandoning ship and dropping on there next week, with cinemas still being able to play it later. (first country where the HBO titles are going to streaming/cable as opposed to PVOD) https://beta.blickpunktfilm.de/details/457432

32 70mm prints have been struck...inb4 they have to destroy all of these https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/haris-zambarloukos-death-on-the-nile/

Yeah, Little Things and Judas are now undated. Tom and Jerry still down for March 19 though! And Croods is on the 26th I believe. Let Him Go is gonna be on VOD in late March/early April, they're sticking with the full 16 week window on this one (it came out same day as WW84)...ironically, the one film that is out in a decently timely manner? Is the one they sold to Netflix OS - News of the World.

I wouldn't be surprised if it is just MI7. Cruise was supposed to do his space film in October and that mission's now been pushed back (with Liman and Cruise forfeiting their seats for now).

Guess they must have worked something out with Legendary and Denis about keeping this to HBO Max day and date Stateside as the OS date is now two weeks before

WB finally pulling the trigger on PVOD in countries that never got it theatrically due to closed cinemas. Italy first up: Wonder if with, for instance, GVK we get this in the UK and so forth as it's looking like May for reopenings here and elsewhere in Europe. Judas and Little Things and the like they'll probably just keep delaying until reopenings but the big piracy risks like this they need as close to a global release...In this case it took *two months* to pull the trigger so maybe that's the same sort of buffer they'll consider for the others. Eg. GVK - if UK cinemas don't reopen until end of May, only then they skip and go straight to PVOD.

They previously actually couldn't have because of the UK 16 week window thing, but now the October date works out especially well... Robbie's got good sources - he's one of the leading UK film critics - and it came late on Friday so wouldn't expect any corroboration until tomorrow at the earliest.

for what it's worth - I think the news of a shortened 31/45 day window in the UK is probably gonna be a positive factor towards this sticking to October - they can have it out on VOD and Blu-ray for Xmas. And I'd imagine that's gonna be a similar standard that will be employed in the US now too (outside of specific deals like the Universal 17/31 day one)

So are the UK and Canada the only places outside the US where this has been released on VOD so far? Is everyone else that still has cinemas closed and wasn't able to release in December (Germany etc) really waiting it out until March/April if not later?

so..what are the odds of this going to 2022 in between the HBO Max debacle and now Bond going week after

Also Many Saints of Newark moving to Sept. And I'm sure someone already mentioned it here - this will surely benefit Asia/Pacific

SPC has been incredibly strongly against any sort of VOD forever throughout all this so yeah... Anyway, the 3-week IMAX window is interesting and I wonder whether 1. that's how they managed to get the OK for day and dating this and 2. Raya and any other Disney/20th will get the same domestically and 3. Whether it could be a test run of sorts for a possibility of Black Widow Premier Access? @lorddemaxus yeah Mulan didn't, and I'd imagine Raya won't. Hamilton also didn't... Anything that doesn't have a theatrical element at all (or Premier Access) will probably have the D+ or Hulu branding, like Soul. Also surely this would be such an easy launch title win for Star internationally. The film's currently set for March here in the UK and no way it's hitting that at this rate, and BAFTA eligibility is April 9 so they'll have to release it somehow...

Nomadland going day and date to Hulu just opened up a lot of doors

Apparently it's to position it in the awards race with fest debuts. However, I bet the possibility of fall films like this or Dune reverting to traditional release is also a big factor.

"IndieWire has learned any decision to delay will not be made this week” https://www.indiewire.com/2021/01/blockbusters-leave-summer-no-time-to-die-what-that-means-for-theaters-1234608988/

apparently they are hell bent on avoiding summer since License to Kill