Sony Executives Slam Hybrid Releases as ‘Devastating’ for Film Industry

CinemaCon opened with a bang in Las Vegas Monday night as Sony executives used their spot as the convention’s first presenters to decry day-and-date releases as “devastating” to the film industry, while doubling down on their commitment to an exclusive theatrical window, according to multiple reports from journalists in attendance.The subtext was clear: Sony is an outlier among major studios; it’s the only one without its own streaming service and the only one that has not used the pandemic as an excuse to premiere films in theaters and for at-home viewing on the same date, a move that his drawn ire from theatrical exhibitors.

But Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman put an even finer point on it when he congratulated 20th Century’s “Free Guy” on its box office performance, citing two reasons: “Number one, it’s terrific, and number two, you can’t watch it at home.

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