In Spain we are already used to movies reaching streaming platforms just weeks after their theatrical release, but in other countries things are very different. Perhaps the most drastic example is that of France, which has led to start a war between Disney and the cinemas of that country.
You will remember that a couple of days ago the trailer for ‘Strange World’ appeared, a promising science fiction animated film that will be released this coming November. In Spain we will see it in cinema but in France it will be launched directly in Disney+. From the study they have not clarified the details, but everything indicates that they are due to the laws of that country that apply to any film that is seen on the big screen before it is available in streaming.
The strict French rule
Until last year the only option they had was to wait 3 years, so any release from the studio in French cinemas could not appear on Disney+ until 36 months after. That is something that was altered this past January, but the solution does not seem ideal either. Now it can become part of the Disney + catalog for 17 months, but five months later they must withdraw it to have a 14-month window in which it can be seen on free access channels. Once that time has passed, back to Disney +.
That change was the result of an agreement between television channels, streaming companies and the country’s film industry, but Disney was not part of it. And now it seems clear that the studio considers that it is not worth going through all those waits with ‘Strange World’, which from the National Federation of French Cinemas they consider as a decision in which everyone loses and that “seriously undermines the economy of cinemas and the industry as a whole“.
From the FNCF they urge Disney to a meeting to solve a measure “totally unacceptable and terribly unfair“, also requesting the public authorities to do everything possible to provide a quick solution to this problem. From Disney they have not made a statement after the complaints of the French exhibitors, but much will have to change the situation for them to give their arm to twist.