The battle over how long a movie must stay in theaters before streaming has its latest flashpoint. Regal and Cinemark, the number two and three cinema chains in the United States, have declined to play Netflix’s The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth on their premium IMAX screens when its two-week global IMAX run opens November 25.
The sticking point is the 27-day exclusivity window. The film — David Fincher’s follow-up to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with Tarantino writing the script — will stream on Netflix on December 23, less than a month after its theatrical debut. Regal says that short gap affects which films get its premium screens.
The film will still find plenty of giant screens. AMC, the world’s largest IMAX operator, agreed to carry it on roughly 200 US IMAX screens, and independent exhibitors are expected to push the global total to about 500-550 screens. But the holdouts are holding their premium auditoriums for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which opens November 20 and is expected to dominate the Thanksgiving box office.
It is a $200 million gamble for Netflix either way. Brad Pitt reprises his Oscar-winning stuntman Cliff Booth in a story set in 1977, eight years after the original film, in a 140-minute feature whose first trailer is already out. Reports say the theatrical run was a late addition that materialized only after Netflix’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew vacated the slot.
Whether exhibitors or streamers blink first on release windows, the Cliff Booth IMAX release will be a closely watched test case when it hits the biggest screens on November 25.
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Bhudev Bhagaliya is an experienced and senior journalist who has carved a distinct niche for himself in the world of Hindi journalism through his profound understanding and precise writing style. With over two decades of experience in the field of journalism, he has held key responsibilities at Dainik Hindustan for 12 years and at Amar Ujala for one year. Currently, he serves as the Content Editor for the Jagrook Youth News newspaper and portal, where he plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and credibility of the news content. Bhudev Bhagaliya consistently writes about issues that help raise awareness within society and among the younger generation.