It didn’t matter.The Hollywood establishment, or at least most of it, was incensed: Big screens, they argued, are part of the very definition of cinema. Traditional studios like Paramount , Universal, Sony, Warner Bros. and Disney rerouted dozens of theatrical films to streaming services or released them simultaneously in theaters and online. Global ticket sales totaled $21.3 billion in 2021, down from $42.3 billion in 2019, according to the Motion Picture Association. “West Side Story” is now available on not one but two streaming services, Disney+ and HBO Max, where it has almost assuredly been viewed more widely than in theaters. Increasingly, streaming services are where the eyeballs are, particularly young ones, which translates to “relevancy” in Hollywood’s mind.The only thing streaming companies have left to do is deliver the ultimate Oscar glory.

Source: Economic Times March 26, 2022 23:44 UTC