Universal Studios has released a statement in response to AMC Theaters announcement that the theater chain will not showcase any of the studio's films once the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdown has lifted.
AMC made the announcement following Universal discussing the success of Trolls: World Tour, which was pulled from theatrical release once the worldwide shutdown hit and released via Video On Demand (VOD). AMC's stance was supported by a statement by National Association of Theatre Owners on the situation, though AMC and NATO say their dual releases were independent of each other and not coordinated co-statements.
Among the Universal properties this decision would affect are the Fast and Furious and Jurassic World franchises, both of which have major installments due to be released once theaters begin to re-open..
"Our goal in releasing Trolls: World Tour on PVOD was to deliver entertainment to people who are sheltering at home, while movie theatres and other forms of outside entertainment are unavailable." a Universal spokesperson said. "Based on the enthusiastic response to the film, we believe we made the right move. In fact, given the choice of not releasing Trolls: World Tour, which would not only have prevented consumers from experiencing the movie but also negatively impacted our partners and employees, the decision was clear.”
Universal expressed its "disappointment" in AMC's statement, clarifying that the studio's decision to release future films in theaters and on VOD would be determined done when necessary. The studio also made a point to reaffirm its dedication to the "theatrical experience."
“Our desire has always been to efficiently deliver entertainment to as wide an audience as possible. We absolutely believe in the theatrical experience and have made no statement to the contrary, the studio said. "As we stated earlier, going forward, we expect to release future films directly to theaters, as well as on PVOD when that distribution outlet makes sense. We look forward to having additional private conversations with our exhibition partners but are disappointed by this seemingly coordinated attempt from AMC and NATO to confuse our position and our actions.”
Via Variety
