The expedited timeline comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, a heath crisis that’s been devastating to those in the business of showing movies on the big screen. “Mark Zoradi and the team at Cinemark have been outstanding partners, and Peter Levinsohn has done a remarkable job on the studio’s behalf in making deals that give us the confidence to release our movies in the marketplace, keep the content pipeline moving, and provide consumers with the optionality that they are looking for.” “Universal’s century-long partnership with exhibition is rooted in the theatrical experience, and we are more committed than ever for audiences to experience our movies on the big screen,” said Universal Filmed Entertainment Group Chairman Donna Langley, who also orchestrated the studio’s historic deal with AMC. The full financial terms of Universal and Cinemark’s deal have not been disclosed. Cinema operators will still be able to play them on the big screen, should they want to. Universal movies that debut early on-demand won’t be promptly yanked from theaters.

Anything shorter could cannibalize ticket sales. But blockbuster hopefuls, hailing from franchises like “Jurassic Park” or “Fast & Furious,” are expected to still have lengthy theatrical runs. However, it gives Universal the opportunity to recoup potential losses should a movie underperform in theaters. Neither agreement says that new releases will definitively move to premium video-on-demand after three weekends. Universal likely wouldn’t opt to shorten the theatrical window - industry parlance for the amount of time a movie plays exclusively in theaters - for commercial hits, or the kind of movie that would gross more than $50 million in a single weekend, anyway. According to insiders, those new terms will also extend to AMC.

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