Cineworld reaches new deals with Disney and Universal

by Clare Brunton |
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Cinema chain Cineworld has reached exhibition deals with both Disney and Universal as they gear up to reopen screens on Wednesday. Cineworld has concluded deals with both Disney and Universal, as well as Warner Bros. previously, with new agreements in place for the cinema chain to show films from the three studios. This comes after a year of debate that was set in to motion by Universal who confirmed that it was looking at exploring more premium video on demand releases in the future. This followed the success of Trolls World Tour, that the studio opted to release straight to on demand, rather than delay its cinema release. We’ve seen over the last year just how successful premium video on demand releases have been, and the new deal between Cineworld and the studios shows an increasing flexibility to how cinemas and studios plan to work together in the future. The deal means that new Disney releases such as Cruella, Black Widow and Jungle Cruise will all be available to watch at Cineworld cinemas, despite also being available to watch on Disney+ the same day (for a premium fee). The deal made yesterday with Universal matches the deal made with Warner Bros., films will have an exclusive 31 day theatrical window prior to a PVOD release, with some films having an extended window of 45 days if a box office mark has been agreed between the companies before release. This is good news for film fans and Cineworld card holders, who are all chomping at the bit to get back in to screens in just a matter of days now! The cinema chain is still in discussions with Sony and Paramount.
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