The rise of streaming services has seen a lot of theaters partner and do simultaneous releases of films, especially more recently. However, with such a rise of simultaneous releases comes the fear of more people staying home and watching films on a streaming service rather than going to the movie theater. In that regard, movie theaters have been a long-standing cornerstone of the entertainment industry- so how can something like this be a positive for both sides?
Well in cases such as recently released “Mortal Kombat,” it was released both on the streaming service HBO MAX as well as within theaters across the globe, which in turn brought more people who are not able to see it on a streaming service back to the theaters all over the United States. The form of a simultaneous release is something that has picked up steam in the past year, with film companies such as Warner Bros picking up on the opportunity with same-day releases for their films in both theaters and on HBO MAX for those who don’t wish to see it in the theater. There are many pros and cons to a film’s simultaneous release, but all in all there is a similar want to get the movie out there to as many people as they possibly can, no matter if it’s in theaters or over the recently released streaming services.
The ways movies are able to get to the viewer now have evolved so much just within the past two years alone, with COVID’s lockdowns shutting everything down for a good two- to six-month period of time during the initial waves. Nonetheless, this has brought new ideas to the table and new ways to evolve in the industry, with more of these companies like Warner Bros, Marvel Studios and others going to specific streaming services like Disney+ or HBO Max or others out there like Netflix who are in their own way making originals that you couldn’t even see anywhere else. The evolution of the entertainment industry is right in front of our eyes, and it will continue to change over the next twelve to twenty-four months even more so than it already has.
As movie theaters continue to open across the globe and countries get more vaccinated, people will want to see films in theaters again, and the concept of a same-day or simultaneous release date could just be the key to the future of film and entertainment as a whole. The concept was thought of over the course of the 2010s but ultimately took hold and became precedent in 2020 and early this year so far.
With the increasing rise in streaming service subscribers and those who are wanting to return to theaters, now is the perfect time to continue these same-day releases because the more entertainment that the viewer has the better, and the more a film gets exposed to the masses, the greater it will be for the actors, actresses and all those who continue to work day in and day out to bring films to life.
Jeff Babcock is a fourth-year student majoring in communications and minoring in journalism. Jb884128@wcupa.edu