Those statements caused both AMC and Regal to release aggressive responses saying they either won’t play Universal movies or won’t play ones that break the theatrical window.
In short, when studios release movies into theaters, it is for a period of time known as the “theatrical window.”
That’s basically an exclusive period in which the movie runs in theaters and is not available to rent or watch at home.
Because of recent theater closures, Universal released Trolls 2 directly to consumers, or via PVOD.