Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures is releasing substantially more films to theaters this holiday season as it tries to spur attendance for troubled cinemas—and boost its push to reset distribution norms by making movies available sooner for online rental. That is far more titles than any other major Hollywood studio—and nearly double Universal’s output during the final 2½ months of 2019. Like many of its competitors, though, Universal has pushed back the release of its biggest titles, including the next installment in its hit “Fast & Furious” franchise, until at least next year. Universal’s release strategy will allow the studio to test a plan to make movies available for online rental sooner than ever after they open in theaters. By putting lower-budget films in cinemas now, Universal is able to provide embattled theaters with more content while simultaneously carving out multiple opportunities to experiment with its new distribution model, which allows it to decide on the fly when to move new films online.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 19, 2020 21:45 UTC