• Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock
Stock

Amazon is stepping up to fill a gap in Hollywood’s movie slate

by May 1, 2025
written by May 1, 2025

Tech is saving Hollywood — though not in the way you might think.

Back in 2022, e-commerce giant and relative upstart movie studio Amazon promised to spend around $1 billion each year on theatrical releases, a figure that would fund between 12 and 15 films annually. Today, it appears ready to deliver.

Earlier this month, the company, which operates the streaming platform Prime Video and recently acquired MGM studios, took the stage at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to tout its line-up of movies made just for the big screen.

Amazon’s inaugural presentation at the annual convention of Cinema United — previously known as the National Association of Theatre Owners — wowed exhibitors, marketers and media in attendance with flashy trailers and first-look footage from upcoming films like “Project Hail Mary,” “After the Hunt” and “Verity.”

It also brought some star power with the likes of Ryan Gosling, Andrew Garfield, Julia Roberts, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Hugh Jackman and Michael B. Jordan set to headline these cinematic releases.

“I thought the presentation was incredible,” said Brock Bagby, president and chief content, programming and development officer at B&B Theatres. “For their first year out, they pulled out all the stops.”

While the studio won’t have a full slate of more than a dozen films until 2026, it has steadily invested in theatrical content over the last few years. Amazon had one wide release, a film that played in more than 2,000 theaters, in 2023 and five in 2024. This year Amazon has only four wide releases on the calendar so far, but the company is slated to have 14 in 2026 and 16 in 2027.

This surge of theatrical content is just what the domestic box office needs. While blockbuster franchise films have been abundant in the wake of the pandemic, the overall number of wide releases has shrunk over the last decade. Even before Covid and dual Hollywood labor strikes slowed production down, Hollywood was making fewer and fewer movies each year, according to data from Comscore. 

Mid-budget movies — often in the drama, comedy and romantic comedy genres — began disappearing in the mid-2010s as studios sought to invest in bigger budget franchise flicks that could result in higher profits. The comparatively lower-budget films have since been predominantly redirected to streaming platforms in an effort to stock these services with more affordable content. 

Analysts project that the domestic box office has lost around $1 billion each year in total ticket sales as a result of that shift.

At the same time that studios were altering their film slates, movie houses were merging. The most recent union between the Walt Disney Company and 20th Century Fox, first announced in 2017 and finalized in early 2019, resulted in the loss of between 10 and 15 film releases annually, according to data from Comscore.

In 2015, 20th Century Fox released 17 films. After its acquisition, the pandemic and the strikes, it has released fewer than a half dozen titles each year.

“With consolidation in the past of some of the studios, the output numbers have decreased over the past few years, and with fewer releases there is less potential for box office and concession sales,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “More importantly movie theaters need new films to draw customers into their auditoriums.”

Amazon’s commitment to theatrical, alongside the emergence of smaller studios like Neon and A24, should help to close the gap left by 20th Century Fox’s acquisition.

“They’ve filled the gap that we’re missing from Fox, which is so exciting, and it looks like a similar slate to Fox, where there’s a few big titles, but a lot of that mid-range,” Bagby said.

What industry experts have discovered is that the strength of the box office doesn’t just rely on the success of franchise films — superhero flicks, big-budget action fare and the like — but also on the sheer volume and diversity of content.

There is a direct correlation between the number of theatrical releases and the strength of the overall box office. During the pandemic, the decline in box office ticket sales largely tracked nearly in lock step with the percentage decline in film releases.

“The number of movies being released continues to trend in the right direction,” said Michael O’Leary, CEO of Cinema United. “When considering wide releases at 2,000 or more locations, we saw 94 last year, but we expect at least 110 in 2025. Beyond that, distributors have secured release dates as far out as 2028 for movies with plenty of commercial potential.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
0 comment
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

previous post
Trump announces Mike Waltz as UN ambassador pick
next post
Iran talks in Rome not happening this weekend and were never confirmed, State Department says

related articles

Palantir joins list of 20 most valuable U.S....

July 26, 2025

FCC greenlights Paramount’s $8 billion merger with entertainment...

July 25, 2025

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella says job cuts have been...

July 25, 2025

Alphabet beats earnings expectations, raises spending forecast

July 24, 2025

UnitedHealth says it faces DOJ investigation over Medicare...

July 24, 2025

Uber will let women drivers and riders request...

July 24, 2025

UnitedHealth says it is facing DOJ investigation over...

July 24, 2025

Lawsuit says Clorox hackers got passwords simply by...

July 23, 2025

Businesses are cautiously spending on corporate travel as...

July 23, 2025

Credit card startup Imprint beats big banks for...

July 23, 2025
Enter Your Information Below To Receive Free Trading Ideas, Latest News, And Articles.


Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

Latest News

  • A US judge partially blocked Trump’s election integrity order from taking force. Is that legal?

    May 2, 2025
  • Several questions about Walz’s record not asked about during vice presidential debate

    October 2, 2024
  • Pentagon transfers out 3 Guantanamo Bay detainees

    December 18, 2024
  • Barrett eviscerates Jackson, Sotomayor takes on a ‘complicit’ court in contentious final opinions

    June 27, 2025
  • Boeing workers to vote on new proposal that could end strike

    October 21, 2024

Popular Posts

  • 1

    Secret Service admits leaning on ‘state and local partners’ after claim it ignored Trump team’s past requests

    July 21, 2024
  • 2

    Elon and Vivek should tackle US funding for this boondoogle organization and score a multimillion dollar win

    December 4, 2024
  • 3

    Five more House Democrats call on Biden to drop out, third US senator

    July 19, 2024
  • 4

    Forex Profit Calculator: Maximize Your Trading Potential

    July 10, 2024
  • 5

    Biden calls to ‘lower the temperature’ then bashes Trump in NAACP speech

    July 17, 2024

Categories

  • Economy (829)
  • Editor's Pick (5,526)
  • Investing (634)
  • Stock (859)

Latest Posts

  • RFK Jr. asked Harris for Cabinet post in exchange for dropping out, endorsing her: report

    August 15, 2024
  • EURUSD and GBPUSD: New week, new targets and prices

    October 7, 2024
  • RFK Jr., on eve of Election Day, tells voters ‘do NOT vote for me’

    November 4, 2024

Recent Posts

  • Fetterman meets with Trump nominees, pledges ‘open-mind and an informed opinion’ for confirmation votes

    December 18, 2024
  • Fortnite applies to launch on Apple’s App Store after Epic Games court win

    May 11, 2025
  • It’s official: Vice President Kamala Harris formally wins the Democratic presidential nomination

    August 6, 2024

Editor’s Pick

  • State Department issues worldwide caution for US travelers following Trump’s Iran strikes

    June 23, 2025
  • GOP-led Senate confirming president’s nominees at faster pace than Biden admin, first Trump term

    February 5, 2025
  • Trump allies claim victory in debate, criticize moderators as ‘pro-Kamala activists’

    September 11, 2024
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Disclaimer: moneyrisetoday.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2025 moneyrisetoday.com | All Rights Reserved

Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Economy
  • Editor’s Pick
Money Rise Today – Investing and Stock News
  • Investing
  • Stock