Studios have repeatedly sought more control over the distribution of their new films, and theaters have been reluctant to compromise. That middle ground has been hard to come by before 2020.

However, he added that these deals at least 'hint' at a middle ground between studios and exhibitors on windowing in the future. 'Any measurements of and the impact of shortened windows will have a giant asterisk next to them at least until such time as the theatrical marketplace is back up and running under near-normal circumstances with consistent releases of high-profile, widely appealing new films,' Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice Pro, said in an interview. Though opinions on the overall impact of the windowing deal differed, analysts agreed that it comes amid unprecedented times for the industry that cloud even the clearest of crystal balls. They averaged a $112.5 million opening gross and $342.0 million in total domestic gross, according to data from Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence. There were 17 films in 2019 with an opening gross greater than $50 million. The Cinemark agreement also requires Universal to keep a film in theaters for an additional two weekends if it opens to more than $50 million. struck in July, the new partnership provides studios the option to put a film on streaming video after 17 days in theaters, as opposed to the prior industry standard that gives theaters about 90 days of exclusivity for debut films.

Similar to the one between Universal and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures added another chapter in the drama between theater operators and movie studios, but analysts were split on its long-term impact on the industry. A recent film debut agreement between Cinemark Holdings Inc.

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