Keeping movies in theaters longer is key to the health of a still recovering exhibition industry, according to Michael O’Leary, President and CEO of Cinema United, the trade group that’s just rebranded (from NATO), as the curtain is set to go up on CinemaCon.
The world’s largest annual gathering of theater owners and studio partners runs Monday-Thursday in Las Vegas. On windows, there’s been all kinds of experimentation since Covid and, yes, debate continues, differences of opinion remain. But enough is enough, he said, and 45 days should be the minimum.
“We are reaching the point … where we’re starting to say, ‘Hey, we need some clarity. We need some stability in terms of what the windows are,’” he told Deadline ahead of prepared remarks he’ll deliver at his keynote on Tuesday.
“From the exhibition perspective, we believe that you have to have a meaningful window in order for movies to be successful. We have concerns about some of the shorter windows not allowing enough time for a movie to kind of take hold and build an audience,” he said. That’s especially true for smaller or mid-sized movies that need time in theaters to build word of mouth and give the marketing time to take hold.
The bouncing around confuses consumers. “We would like to see the window stabilize. We think there’s confusion among the moviegoing public as to how long movies are going to be in theaters. It kind of varies from film to film, and that’s just not a way to reach audiences — if they don’t know from one weekend to the next what’s available. How long is it going to be available? Where can I see it?
“We think that theatrical exclusivity is core to the success of this entire industry, not just exhibition, but in order to see the studios getting the chance to recoup their investment.”
On the 45 days, he said, “There may be instances where a movie comes out less than that. There are going to be bigger movies where it’s going to be longer than that. But, I think, in terms of creating a foundational, a stable, foundational starting point, so that the consumers have some idea, so that they can plan accordingly, I think that’s a good place to start.”
Adam Aron, CEO of the nation’s largest circuit AMC Entertainment, planted the flag publicly in February against 17-day and 30-day windows, saying, “This is a very live topic.” He’s pushing for 45 days and said on an earnings call that “once we get there, maybe we can extend it to 60 days or 74 days, like it was pre-pandemic.”
Studios – with Amazon MGM the newest entrant to the Motion Pictures Association (MPA) at bat this year for the first time – will be previewing their upcoming slates in presentations starting with Sony’s tonight.
O’Leary is in an interesting position since he’s worked both sides having spent nearly a decade at the MPA, leading the Global Policy and External Affairs Department, and serving as SVP for Global Public Affairs and Policy at 21st Century Fox.
Marketing is the other side of windowing, he said. “A window is great, but you have to have a window that is supported by meaningful marketing too.” “Look at last year, the marketing behind Wicked was global and the reach was incredible. I think we’re going to see some things coming up at CinemaCon [this] week, where they’re touting movies for the rest of the year … [and] they’re going to talk about innovative ways to market these movies to try and make the maximum impact.”
Other crucial topics for the industry he’ll touch on are the potential for greater consolidation, as well as access to capital as theaters transform to attract customers. That includes a big expansion of premium formats, to bars, eateries and activities from axe throwing to bowling that have been boosting regional chains.
“There is clearly a kind of chronic cynicism which infects this industry,” he said. “It’s “one of the few industries in the world, if not the only industry in the world, where we kind of judge our success on a day by day, movie by movie, weekend by weekend basis.”
The question that’s been dogging analysts is whether the theatrical industry can actually rebound to pre-Covid levels, or if there’s been a permanent structural change with streaming and consumer habits, and it can’t bounce back. Noise has increased amid a slow start to 2025. Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of MPA member Netflix, offered his latest dig at theatrical at a New York event Friday. “Nearly every live thing has come back successfully. Broadway’s breaking records right now, sporting events, concerts, all those things that we couldn’t do during Covid are all back and bigger than ever.” At the box office, he said, “the trend is not reversing. And I think you’ve got to look at that and say, what is the consumer trying to tell you?”
“Obviously the first quarter was, was a tough quarter,” says O’Leary. “But I don’t think that was necessarily a huge surprise to people that were looking at the slate that was coming out. It’s probably, frankly, kind of the last impact of the strikes in terms of getting stuff produced and getting it out into the marketplace.
“This industry is recovering, but we’re not recovered … I think that at the end of the year, we’re going to end up in a very positive place.”