As the merging of two distinct studio ecologies continues under Disney, questions have come up during the transition about how Twentieth Century Fox’s library titles will be managed under new ownership.
Last week, after Fox put a halt to accepting any new dates, alarmed exhibitors who book repertory theaters or supplement first-run offerings with classic films learned that they can return to (mostly) business as usual.
The exception is that Fox will no longer allow weekday matinees aimed at mainly kids’ audiences who remain a mainstay for Disney first-run releases.Some exhibitors were worried about how Disney would handle the availability of Fox titles such as “Avatar,” “The Sound of Music,” “Home Alone,” “Die Hard,” and the “Alien” films among many others — including the lucrative perennial “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” still thriving in its 45th year in release, which would have a negative impact if it were removed from circulation.
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