It used to be that if you missed a movie in theatres, you’d have to wait months for it to show up on DVD—or worse, wait until it shows up on broadcasting TV. But not anymore. The digital age has officially taken over, and studios aren’t wasting a second getting their biggest hits online anymore. The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon is heading to digital platforms on July 15, just 31 days after its theatrical release. That’s not even long enough for your popcorn to go stale.
Now, that wouldn’t be all that surprising if the film flopped, like so many films that are rushed to digital have. But How to Train Your Dragon is still flying high at the box office. With a $517 million global haul on a $150 million budget, it’s doing dragon-sized numbers. Critics gave it a respectable 77%, while audiences practically lit up Rotten Tomatoes with a glowing 97% score. In fact, social media is already calling it “one of the best live-action remakes ever.” So why is Universal Pictures shoving it out the theatre door so soon?
Blame COVID. Or at least the lingering habits the industry picked up during the global event.
When cinemas shut down in 2020, studios had to scramble to get audiences to see their films. Releasing films early to digital became a survival tactic, not a choice. The problem is they never stopped. Five years later, the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, but that short release window remains. And, strangely, studios seem pretty happy keeping it that way.
The numbers make it easy to understand. With theatrical releases, profits are split roughly 50/50 with cinemas. With digital and VOD, studios get to keep almost all the money. It’s no wonder the theatrical window has become more of a suggestion than a rule.
Earlier this year, Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag was on digital 17 days after it hit cinemas. Universal’s Wicked arrived 30 days after its release in theaters. Even Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which was still doing solid numbers, sprinted to digital just six weeks in. The pattern is clear: if you blink, your favourite blockbuster will be on your smart TV before you can say “limited run.”
What’s even more frustrating is that just a few months ago, AMC CEO Adam Aron said three of the six major studios had agreed to a return-to-normal: keeping films in theatres for at least 45 days. Others were reportedly in talks to join that effort. But here we are, with How to Train Your Dragon swooping onto digital just 31 days in. That “agreement” now feels more like PR fluff than an actual shift in strategy.
Sure, studios will say they’re giving audiences “more options,” but what they’re really doing is chasing maximum profit. And if that means cutting the legs out from under cinemas (again), so be it.
So, is this the new normal, or just a convenient phase? Either way, if you still believe in watching blockbusters on the big screen, you might want to move fast. The countdown to streaming starts the second the credits roll.
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