Screendollars April 13th Newsletter reports on Disney+ launch

Our weekly news summary begins with discussion about Universal's release of its animated family film Trolls World Tour to Premium VOD, prompting many to wonder if this straight-to-streaming release by a major studio is an anomaly due to the current closure of movie theaters or a sign of times to come. For the moment, streaming is the only game in town, as evidenced by an explosion in subscriber numbers and downloads. Disney reported last week that Disney+ had passed 50M paid subscribers, less than 6 months after its launch.  At that time, Disney had predicted that it would not reach those numbers until 2022.  We point to a report from Stephen Follows with an indication on how many production jobs may have disappeared due to the COVID-19 studio shutdowns.  We conclude with a perspective from the BBC on the many challenges cinema has faced over the last century, and a prediction that the mostly likely outcome of the current challenges cinema is facing will be that it will adapt and reclaim its place as the best setting for audiences to see the best films studios have to offer.



This week's report from Gower Street maps out key markers to follow for measuring the eventual re-start and recovery of the industry.  Their model suggests the number of theaters that would have to re-open, market by market, to bring back a certain percentage of market share. this analytical approach is helpful to begin planning for the months ahead. 



In the Hollywood Report, Martin Grove considers the impact that the cancellations of top spring film festivals such as Cannes will have on awards season later this year and early next year.



Our newsletter concludes with our Weekly Film Calendar listing studio releases for the eight weeks beginning June 12th, studio release changes and announcements and the MPAA's latest film ratings.