American cinemas cannot wait any longer, their survival depends on it. After the announcement of new blockbuster postponements expected this summer, American exhibitors and distributors find themselves stuck. For lack of rooms, films do not come out. For lack of films, the theaters do not open. Tenet , Mulan , Without a noise 2 , Top Gun: Maverick , whether at Warner, Paramount or Disney, no more blockbusters are expected for this summer and the fall promises to be very uncertain. If the French exhibitors will have to put forward films less expected and popular, on the side of the United States it is the cold shower. Indeed, after the announcement of the indefinite postponement of Tenet, the chain of cinemas AMC has postponed the opening of its establishments, initially scheduled for July 30, mid-August or, more likely, at the end of August.
Read also: Without a release date, Tenet loses his race against the clock
“ The problem is, we need their movies, ” John Fithian, president and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners, tells the AP. American cinemas, for the most part closed, are simply waiting for the release of blockbusters to attract a certain number of spectators. No luck, the production and distribution studios are waiting for the reopening of these rooms to ensure a release on a large part of the territory but especially internationally.
“ Distributors who want to play films in theaters cannot wait for 100% of the markets to be open because that will not happen until there is a vaccine widely available in the world, adds Fithian. The old distribution models of the big blockbusters must be rethought. This questioning is not about to see the light of day, at least for some very large productions like Tenet . John Stankey, chief executive of Warner Bros. parent company, said Thursday that releasing direct to the HBO Max platform might be an option for some films, but not for Tenet and his $ 200 million production.
No recovery without vaccine?
The imbroglio is mainly based on the health situation in the United States. Despite the resurgence of the virus in much of the country, operators believe they can operate relatively safely by following public health rules, reducing room capacity and cleaning between screenings. But that does not seem to be the opinion of distributors, who are reluctant to show their films in uncrowded theaters.
" The longer this situation lasts, the more bankruptcy and reorganizations there will be and the more people will go bankrupt, " said Fithian, who is currently pushing for more Congress support for theaters. But if there are no new films while waiting for a vaccine, the situation will be disastrous for many companies ”. As an example, AMC recently raised $ 300 million in debt relief to keep itself afloat. Across the industry, nearly 150,000 workers remain unemployed.
