Sam Mendes' Four ‘Beatles' Movies Back to Same-Day Release in April 2028 — Sony Might Hide Individual Box Office Numbers

Sony’s in a real pickle when it comes to finding a strategic rollout for their upcoming ‘Beatles’ movies.

Earlier this week, producer Pippa Harris's comments at the BFI London Film Festival made waves; she said Sony wants audiences to see the films “in the cinema at the same time, during the same period.” Watch one a weekend, spread them across the month, whatever works, hinting that a “one a week” release plan was a possibility.

Not so fast. THR decided to investigate, asking around to get a firmer grasp at what the actual plan is. Turns out, Mendes and Sony are back to dropping all four films on the same day in April 2028, and that option has gained the most steam.

Honestly, the ideas keep getting more misguided the more Sony pitches them. Four movies released the same day? In practical terms, this just doesn't work, not for theaters, and not for audiences trying to plan their week around four movies at once. It's insanity. This could blow up in everyone's face.

The more interesting part is what else is being discussed. Sony is reportedly considering not reporting each film's box office separately. Instead, it would report one combined number for all four. No John vs. Paul rivalry, and no headline saying the Ringo movie made the least amount. Nope. All four, with a combined box office that hides the individual amounts.

Then there's the four-pack ticket idea, a bundle meant to stop people from seeing only the Lennon and McCartney films, and waiting on streaming for the other two. That's exactly what I said would happen back when Mendes first announced the release plan at CinemaCon. Whether AMC, Regal and others would agree to an unusual bundled ticket is another question. THR itself admits nobody seems to know how it would work.

Finally, if the films do open together, the marketing will push the idea that there's no "correct" viewing order. That fits the "Rashomon" setup Peter Straughan described two years ago, hinting that each Beatle's story, written separately by a different screenwriter, would cover the same famous moments from four different perspectives. It'll be fascinating to see how editing shapes all of that footage into four finished movies — although I wouldn't be surprised if four separate editors have been hired, one for each film.

Now, what does this all tell me? Quite simple, really. There is a tremendous amount at stake for Sony. Puck reported the four movies are costing around $100M+ each, so $400M+ total. Tom Rothman has staked a lot of his legacy on this, and DP Greig Fraser shot all four. With that much money in play, Sony is doing whatever it can to make the films feel like one event rather than four separate releases competing with each other, and right now, whatever they’re coming up with doesn’t make much logistical sense.