Let's say Tenet doesn't come out in July, now causing another big move from other movies. This could potentially cause some big chains to file bankruptcy, etc.

What happens then? Do smaller chains/one offs start popping up more? Do studios buy up those now empty theaters? Do studios just go strictly VOD until something is resolved?

Think studios will buy theaters. Wasn't there a new rule last year that supported studios buying theater chains?

They could certainly be bought out, either by film studios or other capable ($) companies. Disney or Warner Bros. would be likely to jump on this I think.

In Japan, the vast majority of theaters are owned and operated by film studios or other major companies. It's possible that fewer than 10% of the country's theaters are independent.

Toho Studios, Japan's largest film distributor, owns and operates Toho Cinemas, the second largest (but busiest) theater chain in the country. Aeon Co. (a very large supermarket/shopping mall company) operates Aeon Cinemas, the largest theater chain in the country. And Shochiku, another movie studio, operates the SMT cinema chain. Combined, Toho and Aeon operate around 65-70% of the country's theaters, and when combined with Shochiku, that figure is around 75-80%.

Warner Bros. actually operated Aeon Cinemas (known then as Warner Mycal) until they sold their stake to Aeon Co. in 2012.

Welp... the worst possible news.

Amazon is considering buying AMC.

IMO, this would be so bad. Would this lead to all the streaming services buying theaters? Kill me.

That would indeed be the worst news ever. As big as amazon as a company is them being a strong presence in streaming and VOD makes this worst possible news. If this really happens the theatrical window will shrink for sure.

I thought after the fued Universal would be the best company to revenge buy AMC

If AMC sells to Amazon you can bet Google will immediately be in the market for Regal. I don’t know if these are even good purchases by them though. Whole foods was a smart buy because it opened up their grocery delivery service. Theaters seem more like a “well we have a bunch of money and nothing to do with it” type of investment ala the Fire Phone.

Who would've thought the history of box office would've ended just after the largest opening weekend of all time.

Agreed something like Endgame this year would have been helpful. As much as I want to see this year's big movies in theaters they are not big enough movies to get the push needed from general audience.

Disney over stacking 2019 now seems like one of their better ideas in history. Coincidence or plandemic???

Cinema as we know it is dead at peaked in 2019.

How appropriate that the biggest movie of 2019 was Endgame.

I do think Cameron's Avatar next year could be a game change in terms of bringing people back to theaters. I also saw an article few days back that the crew has flied back to NZ (a corona free country) and are under quarantine after which production will resume, so I think they will make that date next year.

Assuming we get a vaccine late this year or early next then Fast and Furious or any of the delayed releases could reinvigorate the boxoffice well before Dec 2021. Hopefully.


I can see Bond and other Fall 2020 blockbuster releases getting delayed to next spring if Tenet/Mulan flop.

We’ll see theaters increase in tandem with the opening back up of the economies. 500 added theaters then 1000 then 1500 then 2000.

Private equity will be behind many of the restored theaters.

It will be a slow recovery through 2021-2022

After 1918 flu pandemic came the roaring 20s. There could be a rebound if all 2020 is doing is making people want to live in as non-2020 way as possible after this.