If nothing else can be said about the current state of affairs in the world, we can agree that creativity is at its peak. Although some states are easing back on the stay-at-home orders in light of the pandemic, some people are still being cautious and finding new ways to entertain themselves away from crowds. Over the past couple of years, the Hollywood box office has seen multiple record-breaking ticket sales, and this trend isn’t letting up anytime soon amid the global public health crisis.
The $20 rental fee of the digital children’s animated movie, Trolls World Tour, generated $100 million in revenue across the United States and Canada over the course of three weeks. According to reports, this revenue rapidly exceeded what the original film, “Trolls” amassed within its five-month run in traditional domestic movie theaters.
Industry heads looked to the release of Trolls World Tour to gauge how audiences would react to digital releases, and the response is overwhelming. The concept of premium video on demand isn’t new. Still, in response to the pandemic and closures of movie theaters, it has proven to be a much-needed entertainment alternative in these trying times.
Skeptics, like John Fithian, chief executive of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said, “A limited number of exceptions doesn’t really make a changed business model.” This criticism comes after many accused Universal Studios of taking advantage of the global crisis to further its agenda to push at-home theater options on the consumer.
