Ever since the debut of home video technology in the late 1970s, Hollywood movies studios and the filmmakers they employ have grappled – often at odds – over how home viewing should be integrated into their business model.
Video has unquestionably provided additional revenue for post-release movies and aided in the cause of film preservation, in addition to giving overlooked films a “second chance” at an audience.
However, changes to the length of time between theatrical and home release are traditionally resisted both by movie theater owners and filmmakers, who would prefer their work to be seen on the big screen.
Variety is reporting that several of the major movie studios – including Universal, Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Sony – have entered into aggressive negotiations with multiple large movie theaters chains, with the goal of hammering out agreements that would ultimately lead to new films being released to home-viewing platforms within mere weeks.