After the VOD success of Trolls World Tour, AMC decided that they would no longer be playing any upcoming films by Universal Pictures. Today, Regal Entertainments owner, Cineworld Group has decided to join AMC in stating: “We make it clear again that we will not be showing movies that fail to respect the windows.”
Yesterday, AMC announced they will no longer show Universal Pictures films in their chain of theaters following recent comments made by NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell’s, whom praised the Trolls World Tour release on VOD and touted box office numbers that made the direct digital release viable. These obviously spooked theater chains as they face bankruptcy in the face of COVID-19 and thus are making sweeping statements to likely discourage other studios from following Universal’s newfound direction.