Universal Films Immediately Available for Streaming Due to Coronavirus

Part of going to the theater is so that you can see a first run movie. Large screen TV's and HT have been part of most homes for some time now.

Before the AMC A-List, I didn't go to the theater because it wasn't that big of a deal to me to see the majority of movies NOW.

Waiting for later was perfectly fine with me. I have never streamed a movie. I got away from renting movies back in the VHS days.

I want to own my movies as physical media. Back in the old days, not many people bought movies, they rented them.

Because of this, a movie rental store might pay $80 for a VHS movie. They would have to rent it out for a number of times before they made any profit on a movie.

But after renting movies initially for a number of years, I stopped renting and began buying used VHS tapes for the price of a rental or just a little bit more.

Now, I owned the movie and could watch it forever as many times as I wanted, for as long as I wanted.

To me, if I hadn't seen a movie before, regardless of when it was made, it was a first run movie for me.

By the time I started selling off my collection back around 2000, I had my own library of about 3,800 VHS tapes.

When DVD's replaced VHS tapes, I continued to do the same thing.I waited and bought them used for under $10.

Later I would buy them new for $10-$12 after they had been released to media for 8-10 months.

After around 2011, I would buy them used for $2 apiece. But I would still buy the newer movies I want for $10 or $12.

Mostly I would reserve going to the theater to see 3D movies, like Avatar.

I agree it is not worth paying $19.95 for a first run movie, but that is because I am a single person.

Since many watching would be couples or a family I don't think that $19.95 is too high of a price to see a first run movie.

But, in order for that model to work, they will need to continue with how they are already doing things.

They would still have to wait a few months after they have stopped showing a first run movie, before letting it go to $6 rentals.

People who want to see a first run movie at home will pay for the privilege to do so.

Those who don't will just have to do exactly what they are already doing.

Wait!

 

I read recently they are discovering that most people will only pay $5 to $8 to rent a film. Guess we’ll see if that holds as new and more recent films are offered. I think it’s going to be quite some time before theaters reopen. I’m sure most of you read it, but today Sony announced that virtually all the 2020 films that were scheduled are going to 2021. That kinda tells me there isn’t a business model in there for $100,000,000 plus budget films for the streaming market.

 

New available for rent dates listed now. Looks promising.

Bloodshot: May 5
Bad Boys 3: April 21