Let's be honest: the worst part about seeing a good movie in theaters is knowing that you'll have to wait for months on end before seeing it again (unless you want to spend another $15 on a ticket, that is). There's always that wait between seeing a movie in theaters and getting to watch it at home. There's just no escaping it: if a movie debuts in theaters, don't expect to press play for at least a few months.
However, with ticket sales on the decline, it makes sense that movie studios would start looking for an alternative. It's clear that plenty of people are perfectly happy with waiting until a movie is available to watch at home, and Hollywood has noticed. Up until now, there haven't been any noticeable changes — but if Paramount Pictures has anything to do with it, that won't be the case for long.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Paramount wants its movies online sooner rather than later — in fact, the studio wants its movies on-demand just two weeks after their theatrical debut.
Paramount Pictures has struck deals with theater chains in both Canada and the U.S. – Cineplex and AMC Theaters respectively – about bringing their films home after a two-week theatrical run. As it stands, this only effects two films due out later this year: Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension and Scout's Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Basically, these films will hit streaming services just 17 days after their debut in theaters.
Of course, Paramount is just testing the waters with those two films. If the plan is successful, it's all but guaranteed that Paramount will expand said release schedule to other, high-profile films like Mission: Impossible and Star Trek —though whether other theater chains will be on board is another story entirely.
And, at first glance, it's easy to see why a theater chain would be hesitant to agree to Paramount's plan. It sounds like pulling a movie out of theaters so early would be a definite loss for the chains themselves, but Paramount will actually be sharing some of the profits from online purchases (such as those made on iTunes) with the theater chains in question. That way, in case attendance does drop, the theaters won't be left out in the cold.
It's an ambitious plan, and one that may have major consequences for how people see movies in theaters. At this point, Hollywood can use all the help it can get — let's just hope that Paramount's plan works out as intended.
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