Wall Street Trader schreef op 13 maart 2026 20:17:
Universal To Extend Exclusive Theatrical Window To 45 DaysUniversal Will Give Movies Longer Exclusive Runs in Theaters
Now the studio is committing to longer runs, promising a minimum of five weekends in 2026 and seven weekends in 2027 before a film moves to home entertainment.Universal Pictures is slowing down the arrival of new movies in homes, an acknowledgment that keeping films exclusive to theaters is still Hollywood’s most reliable way to bolster ticket sales.
Universal said on Thursday that it would immediately begin guaranteeing theaters a minimum of five weekends of exclusive play for new movies, ending a pandemic-era policy that guaranteed only three. Starting in January, Universal will move to a minimum of seven weekends of guaranteed exclusivity.
“Reminders of Him” will kick off the company’s new policy when the romantic drama, an adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel, lands in theaters on Friday. Other films on Universal’s 2026 slate include “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” the “Despicable Me” sequel “Minions & Monsters” and Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day.
“Our windowing strategy has always been designed to evolve with the marketplace, but we firmly believe in the primacy of theatrical exclusivity and working closely with our exhibition partners to support a healthy, sustainable theatrical ecosystem,” Donna Langley, the chairwoman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in an email.
“Universal remains a theatrical-first studio,” Ms. Langley said. “That’s proven by the breadth of our slate, our commitment to our filmmakers and the ongoing investments we make in the creative community.”
Among the major studios, Disney is already leading the charge post-Covid with an exclusive theatrical window of 60 days to PVOD
(and even longer to streaming, sometimes 90-100-plus days).