A Less Popcorn Filled Future for Film Distribution How film distribution techniques are changing By Brynn Hughes
ne day you’re sitting in a movie theater, waiting for the film to start. There’s the quiet buzz of people reclining in their seats, the fizz of your sister’s icee, the buttery, warm smell of popcorn, all warming your senses. The previews start up. The lights go dim. You sit back in your nice, comfy chair and get ready for the next two hours of gripling excitement and then, next thing you know, it’s four months later and you’re up in your room struggling to pick
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something worth watching on Netflix for your zoom movie night with friends. There’s no more popcorn. No more previews. No more emotions filling the room. It’s just you and your streaming service. The way movies are put out into the world will never ever be the same again - especially after COVID-19. Film distribution has been a constantly adapting process but it’s changed more than ever in the recent years as the COVID 19 pandemic rages on and technology continues to advance. According to statista,
in 1996 there were 7,798 movie theaters in the US but as of 2020, there are only 5,798 theaters around. When the world shut down, film companies had to scramble and reconfigure their release techniques so the industry could stay afloat. They’ve had to shorten theatrical windows and make films theater exclusive. They’ve also experimented with implementing slow releases and utilizing dual releases. Jennifer Mizener works at Amblin Partners, Steven Spielberg’s company, for Wren
