Fast And Furious Fans Just Got Terrible News

In a move that could throw the release of Fast and Furious 9 into a tailspin, AMC Theatres says its plans to release any Universal-backed films are coming to a screeching halt after the studio announced its record-breaking success with Trolls World Tour.

The head of the American movie theater chain sent NBCUniversal a blistering message after comments from its CEO Jeff Shell implied the Hollywood studio might be moving forward with a dual theatrical and at-home release model.

Adam Aron, AMC Theatres' chair-CEO, said in a letter to the studio:

"It is disappointing to us, but Jeff's comments as to Universal's unilateral actions and intentions have left us with no choice. Therefore, effectively immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of our theaters in the United States, Europe or the Middle East."

Nearly all of AMC's 11,000 screens across the globe have gone black, as the world's largest theater circuit was forced to close locations indefinitely following government-imposed limits on social gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic. While some states are lifting their restrictions in the coming weeks, the nation-wide closures in March caused studios to push their spring release slate to late summer at the earliest, leaving theater owners with nothing to screen and little reason to reopen.

But Aron's statement assures that even when they do, the decades-long business relationship between AMC Theatres and NBCUniversal will have, quote, "sadly come to an end."

Originally geared up for a May 9 theatrical debut, Universal tentpole F9 is among the growing list of titles delayed due to the ongoing pandemic. Universal pushed the ninth chapter of its high-octane Fast and Furious franchise by a whole year to April 2, 2021. The shift followed earlier comments from star Vin Diesel promising fans that the May 2020 release of F9, which will see the return of fan-favorite character Han, was still on.

Unlike its plan with F9, Universal made the huge decision amid the coronavirus pandemic to ditch a theatrical release window for Trolls World Tour in favor of a premium video on demand debut. It was unclear how successful the gamble would be, but the animated sequel reportedly exceeded NBCUniversal's expectations, earning an estimated $100 million in the first three weeks of its North American VOD launch. Shell told The Wall Street Journal:

"As soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats."

Neither AMC nor NATO, the National Association of Theatre Owners, responded well to Shell's comment. After declaring that the policy announcement was, quote, "not some hollow or ill-considered threat," Aron added that it would apply to anyone considering expanding into a premium video on demand model.

A speedy and pointed response from Universal clarified that Shell's comments on release window and platform plans had been misunderstood. According to the studio statement, theatrical releases were never off the table, with NBCUniversal only planning to do, quote, "PVOD when that distribution outlet makes sense." The statement reads in part:

"We look forward to having additional private conversations with our exhibition partners, but are disappointed by this seemingly coordinated attempt from AMC and NATO to confuse our position and our actions."

If an agreement between AMC and Universal can't be met between now and when theaters do reopen, fans may never get to see F9 race into theaters.

In its own follow-up statement, the National Association of Theater Owners challenged Universal's characterization of theater owners' response as, quote, "a coordinated attempt" at misrepresenting Shell's quote. Patrick Corcoran, the group's vice president and CCO, said:

"Unfortunately, Universal has a destructive tendency to both announce decisions affecting their exhibitor partners without actually consulting with those partners, and now of making unfounded accusations."

The entire debacle, which took place mostly over a day, highlighted an increasingly tense relationship between theater owners and movie studios. Nearly a decade after rental and streaming services practically ended the DVD market, theater owners are facing declining ticket sales and an expensive ongoing effort to modernize various elements of the theater-going experience. Following the closures in March, some Wall Street analysts have even predicted AMC might be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Watch the video to learn how Fast And Furious Fans Just Got Terrible News!

#FastAndFurious

Read full article: https://www.looper.com/205483/fast-and-furious-fans-just-got-terrible-news/