The Batman is a worldwide sensation grossing a whopping $670 million in global collections since its release on March 3, 2022. While the stellar theater turnout was expected, what really caught my eye was the deal to have the movie on HBO Max only 45 days (6.5 weeks) after its theatrical release.
Let’s look at some data from Batman’s dream run in the USA
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Typically, movies earn a majority of their income in the first few weeks (USA)
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A selection of top grossers of the last decade shows that on average, 90% of all theatrical revenue was earned in 5.86 weeks and 50% of revenue in only 1.71 weeks. This small snippet of data supports the idea behind the HBO Max deal. As a fan of (almost) all superhero movies, the early release of a movie on OTT does not alter my decision of visiting the theatres if the movie has a lot of hype surrounding it and action sequences worthy of a theatrical experience.
That said, the pandemic has made movie watching on OTT platforms a routine activity. I am keen to see if movies which lack a theatrical spectacle choose to release on OTTs quicker or even skip the theaters all together. Watching the box office data like a hawk!
Data: The Numbers