Halloween Ends: Theatrical Release and Streaming Playing Nice

 As Halloween Ends hits both the big and little screens, we have further proof that combined release models can work well for a film’s best interests. Brandon Blake, entertainment attorney with Blake & Wang P.A, looks deeper into this interesting success story.

No Longer Either-Or

In the immediate wake of the streaming boom and industry shifts of the COVID era, we saw a sharp polarization emerge- there was no way theatrical and streaming releases could co-exist for the betterment of their takings and bottom line, right? It had to be either-or? With the day-and-date release model showing its flaws fast, however, we have seen a quick reversal of this black-and-white mentality, with combination models mostly proving to be the best release strategy for films. 

 

Halloween Ends released last week, giving us the biggest opening weekend we’ve seen since Nope in July. Budgeted to pull in $30M, it has succeeded in reaching $41.25M, taking the Number 1 spot for the weekend. There is a downside, however. This film has underperformed last year’s much-anticipated Halloween Kills, and seems to be suffering from some bad word of mouth. It’s also fallen off by 36% on Saturday, topping Halloween Kills’ 24%. That said, it is facing some direct competition from Paramount’s Smile, whereas Kills was the only Halloween-themed release at the time.

Smaller Streamer Release

Interestingly, however, this was also a day-and-date release, with all the potential pitfalls of split audience focus. It’s a model that can work for this sort of film, however. Most people who enjoy the vibe and spirit of the various Halloween-themed releases will not be keen to watch this at home alone. Nor does Peacock have anywhere near the subscription traction of entities like Netflix and Disney.

 

This makes it a rather interesting demonstration of the odd times where day-and-date can lead to a win-win situation. While immediate theatrical numbers do undoubtedly take a cut, mixed theatrical and home releases can have a place in the wider entertainment market- for the right film. Again, instead of seeing it as a strict binary, it’s a nice example of how adaptive and sensible release strategies can work to everyone’s benefit.

 

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