Paramount Pictures has struck a groundbreaking deal with two cinema chains – US-based AMC and Canada’s Cineplex – which will short the theatrical window on two titles.
The two chains have agreed to let Paramount distribute Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension and Scout’s Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse on digital platforms just 17 days after they’ve dropped below 300 screens during their theatrical release.
Paranormal Activity will be released on October 23 and Scout’s Guide on October 30. The deal means that customers should be able to watch the films around six to seven weeks following release, rather than waiting for the end of the traditional 90-day theatrical window.
Paramount is giving the two cinema chains a share of the films’ digital revenue up until 90 days after their initial theatrical release, although the studio wouldn’t disclose the terms of the revenue split.
The deal is extraordinary given the refusal of most major North American cinema chains to budge on windows. However, the films are both genre titles, which usually have a shorter run in theatres than a blockbuster release.