Due to Corona, these films are now running on Amazon & Co.

Corona is also giving the film and cinema industry a hard time. Almost paradoxically, the actual competition offers a partial solution: the streaming providers.

Corona means an enormous turning point for the film industry

Major financial losses were already apparent when the movie theaters in China had to close because of the virus. After all, the People’s Republic is the second most important market in the world – after the USA. The cinemas there and in many other countries have also been closed since mid-March. Now they are again or still are. Some films, including works by well-known studios such as Universal and Pixar, are therefore being released on streaming platforms for a rental fee in order to contain the financial consequences and allow the audience to enjoy new films despite the pandemic.

The streaming providers are actually a competition for the studios, especially since Netflix and Co. have been setting up high-quality in-house productions. Due to the corona, some real hits continue to migrate to the streaming platforms that were supposed to premiere on the big screen.

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These films are shown on streaming services instead of in theaters

The following films can be seen as stream. The vast majority are available from Amazon for a rental fee of up to 18 euros. With Netflix and Co., the purchased titles are included in the normal subscription.

• After Midnight (Amazon)
• Artemis Fowl (Disney +)
• Berlin, Berlin (Netflix)
• Birds of Prey: The Emancipation of Harley Quinn (Amazon, Google Play)
• Bloodshot (Amazon, Sky, Google Play)
• Bombshell (Amazon, Sky, Google Play)
• Borate 2 (Amazon)
• Chaos at the fire station (Amazon)
• The One and Only Ivan (Disney +)
• The kangaroo chronicles (Sky, iTunes, Amazon, Maxdome)
• Frozen 2 (Amazon, Disney +)
• The Gentleman (YouTube)
• Greyhound (Apple TV +)
• The Hunt (Amazon)
• The Lovebirds (Netflix)
• Just Mercy (Amazon)
• Head burst (Amazon)
• Lady Business (Amazon, Sky)
• Mamacita (Vimeo)
• The Many Saints of Newark (HBO Max announced for 2021)
• Matrix 4 (HBO Max announced for 2021)
• Mulan (at Disney + since September)
• Narcissus and Goldmund (Amazon, Sky)
• News from the world (Netflix)
• Onward: No Half Measures (Disney +)
• The Rhythm Section – Time of Vengeance (Amazon)
• School, School – The time after Mount Fidel (Vimeo)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (Amazon, Sky)
• Soul (Disney +)
• SpongeBob SquarePants: A Sponge-Tastic Rescue (announced as VoD)
• The Suicide Squad (HBO Max announced for 2021)

Some cinema launches are simply being postponed

After many start dates, which were originally scheduled for spring 2020, were postponed early, the cinema closings are making waves with every additional day. Should the cinemas remain closed across the board in the new year, it is quite possible that some of the films mentioned below will end up with the streaming providers after all.

• A Quiet Place: Part II (March 20 – new date: April 23, 2021)
• James Bond: No Time to Die (April 2nd – new date: April 2nd, 2021)
• Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (April 3rd – new date: March 18, 2021)
• Antlers (April 17th – new date: February 19, 2021)
• Black Widow (April 30th – new date: May 7th, 2021)
• Fast & Furious 9 (May 21 – new date: April 01, 2021)
• The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run (May 22nd – New date: July 31st)
• F9 (May 22nd – new date: April 2nd, 2021)
• Saw: Spiral (June 11 – new date: May 20, 2021)
• Top Gun Maverick (June 24th – new date: July 8th, 2021)
• Minions 2: In Search of the Mini-Boss (July 09 – new date: July 01, 2021)
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife (July 10th – new date: March 5th, 2021)
• Morbius (July 31 – new date: March 19, 2021)
• Soul (October 1st – new date: November 26th)
• Cruella (December 23rd – new date: May 27th 2021)
• Fatherhood (January 15, 2021 – new date: October 23, 2021)
• Uncharted (March 5th, 2021 – new date: October 8th, 2021)
• Fast & Furious 10 (April 01, 2021)
• Avatar 2 (December 17, 2021 – new date: December 16, 2022)

Conflict between cinema chains and film productions

One person’s joy is another’s pain – and in this case the ones who suffer are definitely the cinemas. Where the streaming operators, studios and maybe one or the other audience are happy that the latest films can simply flicker on their home screen, the cinemas are the losers if they a) have to remain closed for much longer and b) them also miss out on big blockbusters. As a result, large cinema chains like AMC were already threatening to show no more universal films at all in the future. The concrete trigger was the statement of a manager of the Universal Studios. The suggestion: Even after Corona, films should appear on streaming platforms parallel to the cinema release. The reason is the enormous online success of the film “Trolls World Tour”, which can be seen on Amazon and Sky among others.

Disney’s decision not to show the blockbuster “Mulan” in the cinemas after all, but to publish it directly at Disney + for an additional fee, also caused displeasure among the cinema operators. The Disney films have been box office hits for years. In addition, this decision could have long-term consequences because “Mulan” is the largest film to date to be released directly digitally. In this way, the inhibition threshold in this regard could also decrease significantly in the future.

Save cinemas with #helpyourcinema

The pro rata proceeds go to the respective cinema. And initiatives such as cinema-on-demand can also help the operators. The proceeds from the films viewed there also benefit the cinemas and every fifth stream is also rewarded with a cinema voucher. Some of the cinemas also offer streams themselves, such as the Arsenal Kino, which shows award-winning arthouse films online.