Hey, would you look at that, Paramount is up to its old tricks again—not adhering to a robust theatrical bow for their biggest title of the year so far. Since 2020, they have averaged roughly 30 days of theatrical exclusivity, shorter than most of their competitors.
Regardless, Paramount has now announced that “Scream 7,” currently #7 at the box office, will be available on PVOD tomorrow. That’s just a 31-day theatrical rollout for a film that, just a month ago, upended commercial expectations and had a $64M domestic opening.
Someone should ask Paramount boss David Ellison, if the deal closes, what he plans to do with Warner Bros. titles—will he adhere to a strict 45-day theatrical window? Given his own history, it doesn’t look like he will. Netflix claimed they would.
Last year, AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron confirmed that discussions with studios were underway to extend the theatrical window to at least 45 days before any titles head to VOD. Three of the major studios — Universal, Warner Bros and Disney — had agreed that they need to reinstate the 45-day window. Sony’s Tom Rothman has stated that he would as well. Paramount is now the lone wolf.
The DGA and IATSE are two of the most powerful showbiz unions, and If this merger does go through, they will have absolutely played a role in helping make it happen.