Superhero Cinematic Civil War - Part 57

[Pennywise]

 

[Fincher]

So is The Flash a mere supporting character while Batfleck, Keaton and Supergirl are the real stars?

Not that I’m complaining much.

The Flash is just moving so fast you can't see him, like 90% of the time.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Oh and they better have a scene in this flash movie with Keaton's Batman getting emotional about Alfred, or some kind of acknowledgment.

That would be nice.

 

[mclay18]

I'm still amazed at how COVID basically shortened the theatrical windows. Never would I expect A Quiet Place Part 2 and Black Widow to hit Blu-ray/DVD a mere two months after being in theaters, let alone the former streaming on Paramount+ 45 days in.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Ninjablade]

Bike looks cool. Though, the real wheel popping out of the fake one got a laugh out of me. Not sure why they didn't just make the front wheels the same as the back, but whatever. Looks like a Bat Cycle.

 

[Drizzle]

I'm still amazed at how COVID basically shortened the theatrical windows. Never would I expect A Quiet Place Part 2 and Black Widow to hit Blu-ray/DVD a mere two months after being in theaters, let alone the former streaming on Paramount+ 45 days in.

The window was getting shorter before COVID. Pre-pandemic, Endgame and most Disney releases had about a three month window between theaters and digital release with the Blu-ray and DVD release following a few weeks later. It was heading that direction anyway, but COVID only expedited the process.

It's unheard of now, but I still remember being a kid and having to wait almost a year and a half for Jurassic Park to be released on VHS after it came out in theaters. Disney movies like Aladdin and The Lion King also had nearly a year-long wait between theatrical and home video releases, same with The Phantom Menace. For most releases in the '90s, the average turnaround time between theaters and video was about 6 months, give or take. Then it felt like each decade shaved off a month from that window with the changing times. For example, The Dark Knight came out on Blu-ray and DVD five months after it was released in theaters in 2008. Guardians of the Galaxy came out on Blu-ray and DVD four months after it was released theatrically in 2014. Recent blockbusters like Endgame, Captain Marvel, Shazam and Aquaman only took three months, etc. If only I still worked in a video store where I could put all that useless knowledge to use.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

And now you get concurrent releases on theater and streaming!!!

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Boy Scout]

Does Affleck have a new suit? It looks good.

 

[Drizzle]

And now you get concurrent releases on theater and streaming!!!

You can go watch a movie in a theater and then go home to watch it again on streaming. What a time to be alive.

 

[mclay18]

The window was getting shorter before COVID. Pre-pandemic, Endgame and most Disney releases had about a three month window between theaters and digital release with the Blu-ray and DVD release following a few weeks later.

Disney basically trimmed the shortened window from 4-5 months to three when they announced Alice in Wonderland was going to hit DVD/Blu three months after it’s March 2010 theatrical release. Some international exhibitors were unhappy with that but they showed the movie anyway.

Then Sony released Venom on DVD/Blu two months after it’s profitable October 2018 release to bank on Christmas sales.

And then COVID gave studios the flexibility to trim an extra month off the window.

 

[MbJ]

The thing is that Disney is usually gonna have the leverage to do what they want in these situations because Marvel movies are almost always the biggest thing in theaters when they hit. The operators can throw all the tantrums they like, but very few are actually gonna boycott Disney when they know Disney is gonna be providing the movies that actually get people into theaters. I feel for them. We're in a quickly changing landscape where it's becoming increasingly clear these big conglomerates care way more about streaming, and the theaters have very little they can do in the way of retaliation.

Well this was unexpected.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Blade Hoarder]

Looks like “flavor of the month” Ant-man is getting a third movie.

 

[Zarex]

The window was getting shorter before COVID. Pre-pandemic, Endgame and most Disney releases had about a three month window between theaters and digital release with the Blu-ray and DVD release following a few weeks later. It was heading that direction anyway, but COVID only expedited the process.

It's unheard of now, but I still remember being a kid and having to wait almost a year and a half for Jurassic Park to be released on VHS after it came out in theaters. Disney movies like Aladdin and The Lion King also had nearly a year-long wait between theatrical and home video releases, same with The Phantom Menace. For most releases in the '90s, the average turnaround time between theaters and video was about 6 months, give or take. Then it felt like each decade shaved off a month from that window with the changing times. For example, The Dark Knight came out on Blu-ray and DVD five months after it was released in theaters in 2008. Guardians of the Galaxy came out on Blu-ray and DVD four months after it was released theatrically in 2014. Recent blockbusters like Endgame, Captain Marvel, Shazam and Aquaman only took three months, etc. If only I still worked in a video store where I could put all that useless knowledge to use.

Hate to "Old Man" this discussion yet again, but I remember being a kid and having to wait YEARS for beloved films to be re-released in theaters or for a heavily edited version to end up on network TV. Films stayed in theaters for a full season, and if you loved them you went as often as you were able. My future wife and her BFF spent the summer of 78 taking the bus to see Grease at the local multiplex every weekend. Because once it left the cinema that was it for the foreseeable future.

We got a top loading VCR for Christmas back in 83 and a Raiders of the Lost Ark tape that cost the old man 80 beans. It felt like I had stepped into the future.

 

[Drizzle]

Hate to "Old Man" this discussion yet again, but I remember being a kid and having to wait YEARS for beloved films to be re-released in theaters or for a heavily edited version to end up on network TV. Films stayed in theaters for a full season, and if you loved them you went as often as you were able. My future wife and her BFF spent the summer of 78 taking the bus to see Grease at the local multiplex every weekend. Because once it left the cinema that was it for the foreseeable future.

We got a top loading VCR for Christmas back in 83 and a Raiders of the Lost Ark tape that cost the old man 80 beans. It felt like I had stepped into the future.

I was born in '88 so home video has been available since I can remember but I've always found it interesting to read about the days before everyone had VCRs and movies like Star Wars would be playing for a year because that was the only way it could be seen for years until it made its TV debut on one of the major networks or HBO. My dad had quite a few tapes of movies that were recorded from HBO because it was simply cheaper than buying a new copy since as you said, VHS copies of movies were a bit pricey until the late '80s or so.

 

[Zarex]

I was born in '88 so home video has been available since I can remember but I've always found it interesting to read about the days before everyone had VCRs and movies like Star Wars would be playing for a year because that was the only way it could be seen for years until it made its TV debut on one of the major networks or HBO. My dad had quite a few tapes of movies that were recorded from HBO because it was simply cheaper than buying a new copy since as you said, VHS copies of movies were a bit pricey until the late '80s or so.

I was born a couple decades and change earlier, so I remember the days of three networks and the only filmed entertainment available between May and September appearing in your local multiplex. It was a great era for catching up on your summer reading but not so much for binge watching.

And you can see how the ancillary market for Star Wars merchandise developed to the degree that it did. To sate the unmet demand for Star Wars stuff you would read the novelization, grab the comics off of the spinner rack, and stalk the aisles of Toys R Us for action figures. It really was a different time.

 

[mclay18]

The thing is that Disney is usually gonna have the leverage to do what they want in these situations because Marvel movies are almost always the biggest thing in theaters when they hit. The operators can throw all the tantrums they like, but very few are actually gonna boycott Disney when they know Disney is gonna be providing the movies that actually get people into theaters.

While Disney is providing the main product to keep exhibitors afloat, Universal was the first studio to land a major crack in the theatrical window model late last year. If the movies they showed dipped below a certain number on opening weekend, it was available on PVOD within three weeks. If it hit a certain threshold, it would be exclusive to theaters for 31 days before PVOD.

Warner Bros laid the second major blow by making WW84 and the whole 2021 slate day-and-date on HBO Max. And then Disney made the final blow with the select "see it in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Pass" strategy for Raya, BW and Jungle Cruise.

And now 45 days is the standard theatrical window before digital purchase or streaming availability.

 

[Web-Head]

Disney pushed the digital release up for Black Widow because it wasn't doing as well as they hoped for at the box office. I don't know if I'd expect the same for Shang-Chi or Eternals.

 

[Sithborg]

Disney pushed the digital release up for Black Widow because it wasn't doing as well as they hoped for at the box office. I don't know if I'd expect the same for Shang-Chi or Eternals.

I think the Chinese certification waffling also is pushing it. Without that Chinese revenue, they are going to want to get more money out of it as soon as possible.

 

[Detective Conan]

This is my reaction whenever I read rumors and leaks about what happens in No Way Home.

 

[The Caped Knight]

It seems their is a strong desire to make Captain Carter the leader of the multiverse team. Perhaps we’ll see Haley Atwell suit up at some point as Captain Carter.

 

[Pennywise]