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Cinema United calls for 45-day exclusivity to boost box

office

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Streaming reduced traditional 90-day theater exclusivity,

impacting box office

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Sony ( SONY ) open to collaboration on theatrical windows, pricing

flexibility

By Lisa Richwine

LAS VEGAS, April 1 (Reuters) - Movie theater owners are

making a new push to keep films in cinemas for a longer period

before they are available for audiences to watch at home.

Cinema United, a trade organization formerly known as the

National Association of Theatre Owners, called on Tuesday for a

minimum 45-day window of exclusivity for all films to help boost

box offices still hovering below pre-pandemic levels.

"Shorter windows reduce the number of people that head to

the theater in the opening weeks of a release," Michael O'Leary,

president and CEO of Cinema United, said at the industry's

annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas.

"It hits the bottom line, and in many cases, undermines the

ability of medium- or smaller-budget movies to build an audience

or even get off the ground," he added.

The issue has caused friction between theater owners and

media companies in the past.

It used to be standard practice that movies played in only

in theaters for 90 days or more.

The rise of streaming and the pandemic led media

conglomerates to reduce that period. Today, a film can become

available to stream at home - for a fee - as soon as 17 days.

The time period varies for each title.

In 2024, U.S. and Canadian box office receipts totaled $8.6

billion, 25% below the pre-pandemic heights of $11.4 billion in

2019.

Theater operators said their business would benefit from a

consistent timeline, and they want studios to stop advertising

the date a movie will be accessible at home while it is on the

big screen.

"One of the most important things is to not announce the

streaming date while we're still playing the movie," said Bob

Bagby, president and CEO of the B&B Theatres chain. "That

confuses consumers."

Hollywood studios have shortened theatrical windows to make

money with at-home streaming rentals. They argue that many films

have collected most of their box office dollars within a few

weeks. Streaming service Netflix ( NFLX ) puts only a small

number of its films in theaters for a short period.

On Monday, Sony ( SONY ) film executive Tom Rothman told the

CinemaCon crowd that "Sony ( SONY ) will work with you" on setting

windows and on pricing flexibility, though he offered no

specifics.

"If theaters and studios manage for the long term and do the

right thing, the future will be grand," said Rothman, the

chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture

Group.