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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1318513
start to be more selective,” he continued. “Subscriptions will then have to evolve and be more flexible. Ultimately, we’ll arrive at the point where we will have two to three, perhaps four major global platforms and a rich underlying offering of niche players. “One price fits all simply isn’t going to be sustainable,” he added. “If the OTT services don’t become more attuned to what their viewers want, need – and can afford, they’ll simply abandon the platforms that don’t listen. Streamers need to remember that their viewers now have more options and they’re increasingly willing to jump ship! And while viewers liked the idea of watching rich content in the safety of their own home, communities worldwide reminded the industry that there is still a high level of interest in attending a local cinema.” Theater management did an excellent job of reassuring ticket holders that they were focused on the safety of each individual as they slowly reopened theaters with the strongest titles that were available – Tenet, The Eight Hundred and yes, Mulan, in China. Around the globe, Gen Zers and millennials showed they were ready to resume – and in many cases begin – their communal entertainment experience. The more than 7,000 cinemas across China enjoyed “record” crowds, despite the governmental restrictions of 50 percent occupancy. Artisan Gateway, the country’s box office tracker, noted that it was rare for Chinese cinemas to exceed 50 percent capacity prior to the pandemic so exhibitors didn’t even notice an impact in ticket sales. The same was true for AMC, Cineworld, Cinemark, Cinemex, Cineplex and even funky little out-of-the-way art cinemas across the Americas and Europe. Chinese theater owners held their breath with the opening and extended run of the patriotic film, The Eight Hundred, followed by Warner’s Tenet and Disney’s Mulan. The Eight Hundred racked up nearly $300M in ticket sales in China and the country’s theater goers helped Tenet bring in $300M in more than 40 countries. Even Mulan – another strong Chinese patriotic story that did well as a Disney PVOD offering – filled the country’s cinema seats. While theater owners are still struggling to recover from the six-months plus closure and operating in new and different ways, the pandemic-induced hibernation may have rekindled people’s interest/need to see a movie in a cinema with others. Admit it. People were ignoring the need to go out to the movie even before the pandemic and the governmental health lockdown provided studios, content owners and services to meet the consumer’s entertainment needs in a more relaxed environment … their own home. Online streaming services helped the total ecosystem