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77-472: The American Releasing Corporation was an American film distribution company active during the silent era . The company was founded in 1920, but was primarily active from 1922 until 1923, producing or handling films of a generally higher quality than many independent studios who specialized in Poverty Row second features . This article about an American film distributor or production company

154-430: A 2000 study by ABN AMRO , about 26% of Hollywood movie studios' worldwide income came from box office ticket sales; 46% came from VHS and DVD sales to consumers; and 28% came from television (broadcast, cable, and pay-per-view). Typically, one film is the featured presentation (or feature film ). Before the 1970s, there were " double features "; typically, a high-quality " A picture" rented by an independent theater for

231-487: A 70mm engagement, Reds and Scarface did not. By 1984, the entire roadshow format had also largely been abandoned, as the rise of the multiplex and competition from cable TV and home video began forcing changes in the nature of film industry. For example, Carmen (1984), an uncut two-and-a-half hour film version of the Georges Bizet opera, was not released as a roadshow nor shown with an intermission, despite

308-464: A Day (2011) and Eyes and Ears of God: Video Surveillance of Sudan (2012). Roadshow theatrical release A roadshow theatrical release or reserved seat engagement is the practice of opening a film in a limited number of theaters in major cities for a specific period of time before the wide release of the film. Roadshows would generally mimic a live theatre production, with an upscale atmosphere as well as somewhat higher prices than during

385-480: A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), all of which had significant footage missing, have been restored in recent years to match the filmmakers' original intent. However, several long films, such as Gone With the Wind and The Ten Commandments , have never been released in edited form, and were nearly always shown on a two performance-a-day basis. In Old Chicago , despite its roadshow presentation running only 110 minutes,

462-416: A city for a limited number of weeks before the physical filmstock was moved to another city. Finally, while not every roadshow was intended for this, roadshows would sometimes act as a predecessor to modern focus groups to measure audience reception. When this was done, audience members would be encouraged to write their thoughts and feedback on cards, and producers would use the feedback as well as monitoring

539-415: A day and present the film at reduced "popular prices", especially if the film ran longer than two hours. Sometimes this was done to a successful film, such as South Pacific , but more often to one that had been a significant flop, in an effort to make it a success on its second run. As a result, some of these films have not been seen in their entirety since their first release, as the original edited footage

616-504: A day), although the film is only two hours long, was not produced on a large budget, and does not contain an intermission. The color version of Show Boat (1951) was also shown in a roadshow format in some theaters, despite being less than two hours long, and not having an overture, intermission, entr'acte, or exit music. From around 1952 to the early 1970s, with audiences switching to television, studios tried to entice movie audiences back to theaters by making widescreen epics and using

693-620: A deal with Walt Disney Pictures to show its movies in U.S. and U.K. theaters. Some films may be made specifically for non-theatrical formats, being released as a " television movie " or " direct-to-video " movie. The production values on these films are often considered to be of inferior quality compared to theatrical releases in similar genres; some films that are rejected by their own movie studios upon completion may be distributed through these markets. A direct-to-video release (also called " straight-to- DVD " or " straight-to- Blu-ray ", depending on media used for film distribution) occurs when

770-467: A few years. In the United States, these theaters came to be known as nickelodeons , because admission typically cost a nickel (five cents). Distributors license films to theaters granting the right to show the film for a theatrical rental rental fee . The movie theater pays an average of about 50-55% of its ticket sales to the movie studio, as film rental fees. The actual percentage starts with

847-600: A filmed visual record of the Laurence Olivier 1964 London stage production, shot in a movie studio, but on enlarged stage settings. The nearly three-hour color film, made in Panavision and shown in 35mm and mono sound in many areas, was shown in 70mm and six-track stereophonic sound in exactly one engagement - in London in 1966. Being a film that lay somewhere between a photographed play and a true motion picture,

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924-605: A limited engagement format each time. Today, a practice of first premiering a film in larger cities is more common, mainly towards the end of the year, in order to qualify for film award consideration, including the Academy Awards . Such recent films that have gone the limited release route include Million Dollar Baby (2004), The Aviator (2004), March of the Penguins (2005), and the Disney film The Princess and

1001-426: A lump sum, and a lower-quality " B picture" rented for a percentage of the gross receipts. Today, the bulk of the material shown before the feature film consists of previews for upcoming movies (also known as trailers ) and paid advertisements. The development of television has allowed films to be broadcast to larger audiences, usually after the film is no longer being shown in theaters. In 1971 U-Matic became

1078-407: A movie directly to the theater or franchise salesperson, typically on a foot-by-foot basis for 10 cents a foot. Absent major studios or national theater franchises, this system was generally the best way to ensure national release of a film, particularly for shorter films. However, in terms of profitability, the states rights system was not the most effective way to screen feature-length films since

1155-560: A movie is released on home video formats (such as VHS, DVD, etc.) without being released in theaters first, thereby not taking into consideration the "theatrical window". As a result of strong DVD sales, straight-to-video releases achieved higher success and were noted in 2005 to have become a profitable market, especially for independent filmmakers and distributors. Feature films released directly to YouTube or other streaming platforms include: Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007), The Cult of Sincerity (2008), Home (2009), Life in

1232-463: A movie is released through movie theaters, it is released to home video and VOD services. After an additional period, it is usually released to pay television, and then made available for free-to-air television. A simultaneous release takes place when a movie is made available on many media (cinema, home video, VOD) at the same time or with very little difference in timing. Simultaneous releases offer great advantages to both consumers, who can choose

1309-497: A number higher than that and decreases as the duration of a film's showing continues, as an incentive to theaters to keep movies in the theater longer. However, today's barrage of highly marketed movies ensures that most movies are shown in first-run theaters for less than 8 weeks. There are a few movies every year that defy this rule, often limited-release movies that start in only a few theaters and actually grow their theater count through good word-of-mouth and reviews. According to

1386-507: A premium price. In July 2010 Netflix secured a deal with Relativity Media in which the latter agreed to distribute a number of major movies to the aforementioned VOD service before Pay TV . Producers of relatively smaller-budget movies are also utilizing new release strategies. In 2009, the movie The House of the Devil premiered on VOD systems on October 1, and received a limited theatrical release one month later. In August 2010, it

1463-468: A reserved seat engagement was Lost Horizon (1973), a financial and critical disaster. In the late 1970s, only three films (two popular and one a legendary disaster) received a reserved seat engagement. Michael Cimino made the successful film The Deer Hunter (1978), which was a commercial and critical success, winning the Oscar for Best Picture. In its initial run, it was enlarged to 70mm film and given

1540-438: A resolution in 1980 objecting to the proposed release of video cassettes at the same time as a film was released in theaters on the basis that their release would negatively impact theatrical revenues. The window between theatrical release and free-to-air television in the United States at the time was normally three years. By 1983 in the United States, the theatrical window before a film would be made available to other media, (at

1617-423: A roadshow release. Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather , made Apocalypse Now (1979), another three-hour epic which received some favorable reviews and is now considered one of his best. The film had a difficult production history, and after five years of production it premiered in a U.S. reserved seat engagement in 70mm. It became a great financial success, and made even more money years later when

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1694-544: A sense of prestige. Although this method helped increase film earnings for the producer, given its nature, a movie's release would only be at the regional level. Some of the first road show films were the Italian film Cabiria (1914) and the American The Birth of a Nation (1915). The standard release routine for a movie is regulated by a business model called "release windows". The release windows system

1771-548: A single year. Among them were: Not all of these post-1951 roadshow releases were hits. Several of them, especially the musicals, were box-office flops that lost money for the studios, even if they had previously been hits as stage shows. Some of the films, such as the Olivier Othello or the Burton Hamlet , were not intended to be box-office hits, but were created as a means to bring these productions to

1848-495: A wide release. They were commonly used to promote major films from the 1920s–60s and build excitement. Roadshows had a number of features that distinguished them from normal releases. There would be an intermission between the two "acts" of the film, with the first act usually somewhat longer than the second. Films selected for roadshow treatment were typically longer than the usual motion picture, lasting anywhere from slightly more than two hours to four hours or more, counting

1925-501: A wider public than could have seen them onstage, much as American Film Theatre would do in the mid-1970s. Many of these roadshow releases, including Disney's Sleeping Beauty , were shown in six-track stereophonic sound , a then non-standard feature of motion pictures. West Side Story , although shown in 70mm and six track stereophonic sound, was shown with an intermission with all 70mm prints as well as its 70mm re-releases, but was, in most areas, shown without one in order to increase

2002-528: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Film distribution Initially, all mass-marketed feature films were made to be shown in movie theaters. The identity of the first theater designed specifically for cinema is a matter of debate; candidates include Tally's Electric Theatre, established 1902 in Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh's Nickelodeon, established 1905. Thousands of such theaters were built or converted from existing facilities within

2079-463: Is called "platforming" or a platform release . Occasionally roadshow releases are done for special event films. In 2006, the film Dreamgirls , based on the Broadway stage musical , was given a three-theater road show release, with reserved seats and program guides. Tickets were significantly higher priced than normal, at $ 25. The film itself was not shown with an intermission. In 2008 and 2009,

2156-540: Is either missing or no longer exists. With the work of film preservationists and restoration , such roadshow flops as A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), Mourning Becomes Electra (1947), Joan of Arc (1948), A Star Is Born (1954) and Fantasia (1940), along with the films For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Spartacus (1960), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and It's

2233-457: The "roadshow" means of presentation and promotion. Films shot in 3D were sometimes also shown in a roadshow format with intermission, regardless of actual length, as well as many films shot in widescreen processes, such as CinemaScope , Todd-AO , MGM Camera 65 , and Super Panavision 70 , and films that were blown up to 70mm from the 35mm negative. As a result, there was an avalanche of roadshow films during those decades, often more than one in

2310-556: The 1950s meant that the film lacked many of the customary roadshow elements of the period. However The Mexican release of the picture, did feature a six-track stereo surround mix and was shown with its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio matted to a 2.2 in standard 70mm.) Similarly, the first film version of The Lion in Winter (1968), although a roadshow release filmed on location with gorgeous color and beautiful scenery, instead of being released in 70mm and 6-track stereo sound - even though it

2387-409: The 1970s, with more movie theaters adjusting for efficient but unromantic buildings unsuitable for fancy events. Roadshows evolved into limited releases after the 1970s, as the faux live theatre appeal began to wear off and more films opted for a " blockbuster " approach of opening to as many theatres simultaneously as possible. The roadshow format had been used since the days of silent films, but

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2464-415: The 1980s had curtains which covered the screen, and which would open when the show actually began and close when it ended. Some roadshow scheduling mimicked the performance schedule of live theatre such as Broadway theatre . Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays would have two screenings, while during the rest of the week, the films would be shown only once a day. An early example of this form of presentation

2541-871: The DVD and Blu-ray versions of Tim Burton 's Alice in Wonderland 14 weeks after the movie's release date (instead of the then usual 17) in order to avoid competition from the 2010 World Cup . In response to such statements, theater owners made threats not to show the movie on their screens, but later reconsidered their position before the movie was released. As of 2019, most major theater chains mandated an exclusivity window of 90 days before release on physical home video and rental availability, and 74–76 days before digital sell-through . Other strategies are also being deployed in order to make up for slow DVD sales. Most major studios have considered making movies available to VOD services shortly after their theatrical release for

2618-517: The Frog (2009); these and other such limited release films eventually opened wide. Sometimes this is done to allow a film to receive a wide release shortly after the first of the year, while qualifying for the previous year's Academy Awards. Often, smaller films (often art and independent) will receive an initial release in New York and Los Angeles, and later expand to other cities based on results; this

2695-532: The Hedgehog , I Still Believe , and The Invisible Man also became available for in-home on-demand viewing after a theatrical run shorter than usual in the wake of widespread theatre closures. As a result of the controversy surrounding the shrinking and even elimination of the theatrical window, in April 2020 AMC Theatres stated it would no longer screen films made by Universal Pictures after Trolls World Tour

2772-497: The United States. Major movie studios reportedly pushed to shrink the theatrical window in an attempt to make up for the substantial losses in the DVD market suffered since the 2004 sales peak. These attempts have encountered the firm opposition of theater owners, whose profits depend solely upon attendance and therefore benefit from keeping a movie available on their screens. In early 2010, Disney announced it would be putting out

2849-429: The above, The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), The Longest Day (1962) and Is Paris Burning? (1966) were four epics that were made in black and white instead of color. Before then, roadshow epics alternated between getting released in black and white or color. It was common practice for studios to cut some of these epics for general release in order for theaters to book more showings

2926-401: The advent of anamorphic lenses, a number of Cinerama roadshows were able to be compressed onto normal 5-perf 70mm film and with the extra-wide screens installed, normal 70mm theaters were able to play these reformatted Cinerama titles. There were some notable exceptions to the standard roadshow release format, three of them Shakespeare productions. One was Othello (1965), which was essentially

3003-418: The audience to gauge which parts of the "long" version of a film should be cut for shorter runtimes during the wide release. Roadshows were profitable and effective in the early years of cinema, when films spread by word of mouth and releases were more gradual. Societal changes in the 1960s and 70s dulled the prestige of the "event" style, however. Fewer ornate theaters in the style of movie palaces existed by

3080-472: The average theatrical window in the United States between a film's theatrical release and its showing on TV was just over five years. By 1979, with the advent of pay television, films were normally made available to pay television in the United States one or two years after theatrical release. With the advent of home video, the National Association of Theatre Owners in the United States passed

3157-732: The company and they had no plans to adjust it. During the COVID-19 pandemic , all the major studios broke the theatrical window due to widespread theatre closings and made several films available on home media shortly after their theatrical debuts, such as Universal releasing The Invisible Man for rental 21 days after theatrical release, Sony and Columbia Pictures releasing Bloodshot for purchase 12 days after theatrical release, Warner Bros. releasing The Way Back 18 days after theatrical release, and Disney releasing Onward for purchase 15 days after theatrical release and streaming on Disney+ 29 days after theatrical release. Sonic

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3234-487: The decline of the Motion Picture Patents Company (Edison Trust) in 1915, there were two main forms of film distribution: states rights and roadshow . Under the states rights system, films were sold on a local, territorial basis. The local salesperson would then play the film as often as they desired in an attempt to make as much profit as possible. Film copyright holders would sell rights of

3311-468: The director's cut was released. Cimino's next film was Heaven's Gate (1980), which was one of the biggest ever box-office failures. It had a roadshow release and premiered in a 70mm version with an intermission. The roadshow engagement was the shortest in history, for only three theaters held the screenings. Its New York run lasted three days, the Toronto run was shown once, and the Los Angeles engagement

3388-512: The fact that the film was so faithful to the opera that it kept the stage version's original division into four acts. This version of Carmen was also filmed in six-track stereo and on location, like many epics. Even though the format had died out, Gettysburg (1993), Hamlet (1996) and Gods and Generals (2003) were screened with intermissions due to their extreme lengths on their original releases. While all three films had no official overture, entr'acte or exit music, cinemas choose to show

3465-486: The film did not make sufficient use of the spectacular vistas that 1960s widescreen epics usually boasted. In addition, while it had no overture, entr'acte music, or exit music, it was still shown on a two-performance-a-day basis with an intermission, as nearly all roadshow releases were. However, it was shown in U.S. cinemas for an extremely limited release: only two days, in contrast to the customary and lengthy months-long engagements enjoyed by most roadshow films. The same

3542-462: The film's producers only made money on the initial sale of each film copy. This method also made it possible to screen films of various genre which may be illegal in one state but legal in another. With the roadshow system , the producer would enter into an agreement with each theater, with priority given to large-seating and famous theaters. Money would be made via ticket sales. A movie's showing would be limited to drive up demand and to help create

3619-456: The films accompanied with the commercially available film soundtracks playing as the audience entered and exited theaters. Gettysburg and Hamlet were screened with two screenings a day while Gods and Generals was not. Titanic (1997) was 195 minutes long, prompting some cinemas to add a short mid-film break or to screen it without commercials for health and safety reasons. It has been restored twice (in 70mm and later 3D 4K) and rereleased in

3696-493: The first magnetic format in which movies could be enjoyed in institutions outside the theatre. Later that year, the first videocassettes of movies became available to consumers to watch in their own homes. Recording technology has since enabled consumers to rent or buy copies of films on home media such as VHS or DVD (older formats include: laserdisc , VCD , SelectaVision and videodisc ). Internet downloads are also revenue sources for film production companies. Prior to

3773-460: The four-hour biopic Che , starring Benicio del Toro as Che Guevara , was shown in a roadshow format for a limited time in a number of large cities. Quentin Tarantino , who remembers the roadshow era fondly, released The Hateful Eight in selected theaters on Christmas Day before expanding into a wide release on December 30, 2015. Tarantino shot the film in anamorphic 70mm (specifically

3850-538: The intermission. There would be no short subjects accompanying the film, and rarely any promotional trailers . Screenings would be limited to one or two a day, sold on a reserved seat basis, and admission prices were higher than those of regular screenings. Souvenir programs containing photos from the film, photos and biographies of its cast and principal crew, and information on the film's production would be sold, occasionally along with other merchandise. Similar to touring theater productions, films would be presented in

3927-474: The look of an epic, was shown in most areas in monaural sound (although its three soundtrack albums were all made in stereo) and was projected at a screen aspect ratio of 1.66:1; that is, roughly the dimensions of today's average movie screen or HDTV screen, not the very wide screens required for films made in Ultra Panavision , CinemaScope, Todd-AO or any of the other widescreen processes invented in

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4004-437: The main title music, was played before the beginning of the film, while the lights were still up and the curtains were still closed. As the lights dimmed, the overture ended, the curtains opened, and the film began with its main title music and opening credits. The exit music was played after the film had ended, following the closing credits, while the auditorium lights were on and the curtains were closed. Many movie theaters until

4081-399: The major Hollywood studios, including Universal and Warner Bros. , identified that they were working on an agreement that would see certain movies receive a premium video-on-demand release within weeks of their theatrical premieres. Nothing came out of these discussions, and after Disney bought 21st Century Fox , then Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that the theatrical window is working for

4158-492: The medium that most suits their needs, and production studios that only have to run one marketing campaign for all releases. The flip side, though, is that such distribution efforts are often regarded as experimental and thus do not receive substantial investment or promotion. Simultaneous release approaches have gained both praise, with investor Mark Cuban claiming movies should simultaneously be made available on all media allowing viewers to choose whether to see it at home or at

4235-485: The performance of the film at the box office. Films in the US were then available for pay-per-view four months later and, approximately two years after its theatrical release date, available for free-to-air television. The reduction in the theatrical window impacted subrun theaters that showed films after they had been screened by first-run theaters. By 2019, the theatrical window had been reduced to an average of three months in

4312-511: The performance. It was not even, strictly speaking, a full-scale film version of the play, but merely a visual recording of a performance of it at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre , with a live audience. At three hours and eleven minutes, it was then the longest film version of Hamlet . Another exception was Franco Zeffirelli's version of Romeo and Juliet (1968), which, although photographed in beautiful settings and certainly having

4389-411: The place of the oldtime movie palaces, theater exhibitors began showing long films in a more informal format. Francis Ford Coppola 's Oscar-winning epics The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974), for instance, were made with mono sound, shown without intermissions, and were given more than two performances a day, despite their extreme length. Stanley Kubrick 's Barry Lyndon (1975)

4466-510: The plan. However, this would be short-lived, because in March 2021, it was announced that Warner Bros. would discontinue same-day releases in 2022, as part of an agreement the studio reached with Cineworld (who operates Regal Cinemas ) and will instead use a 45-day exclusive release window for theaters. Most recently, the parent company has reached an agreement for a 17-day and a 31-day theatrical window with Universal Pictures and has agreed on

4543-538: The rise of widescreen and stereophonic sound in the 1950s made it especially attractive to studio executives, who hoped to lure audiences away from television by presenting films in a way that an audience at that time could never hope to see at home. Possibly, the first film ever shown in a roadshow engagement was the French film Les Amours de la reine Elisabeth in America in 1912, a 53-minute motion picture which starred

4620-514: The single-strip 6-track stereo Cinerama format described above) and managed to get the film booked in roughly 100 theaters worldwide that were provided 70mm projectors and lenses to equip the theaters to cope with the Cinerama format by The Weinstein Company to screen the film as the director intended. Deadline Hollywood referred to this release as a roadshow presentation, as it included all

4697-406: The souvenir programs that were a part of the roadshow release of the films were no longer given out during the wide release. The practice of roadshow presentation began dying out in the 1970s, partly because of sequence of costly box-office flops, and partly due to the rise of the multiplex . As multiplexes began to increase in number, and as more and more skyscraper hotels and office buildings took

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4774-439: The stage actress Sarah Bernhardt . Films shown in a roadshow format before 1951 included: British films that were shown as roadshow attractions in the US included: In a roadshow release, a large-scale epic film would open in larger cities in an engagement much like a theatrical musical, often with components such as an overture , first act, intermission, entr'acte , second act, and exit music. The overture, distinguished from

4851-477: The technology. The special requirements needed to show films in Cinerama—a theater with a huge, ultra-curved screen, three projectors running simultaneously, and seven-track stereophonic sound—made it impossible to show its films in wide release unless the picture was converted to standard one projector format (i.e. Panavision ). Since most of those cut off the sides of the original combined picture, eventually, with

4928-410: The tension in the plot—an idea recommended by the filmmakers themselves. Some films like The Guns of Navarone (1961) were often occasionally shown as roadshows for international releases, even if they weren't intended as roadshows for domestic release. The King and I (1956), which had originally been shown in 35mm 4-Track stereophonic sound and without an overture, intermission and exit music,

5005-645: The theater, and disapproval, with director M. Night Shyamalan claiming it could potentially destroy the "magic" of moviegoing. Cinema owners can be affected if they have to share their opportunity window, especially at the beginning of the movie lifecycle, since, according to Disney, about 95% of all box office tickets for a film are sold within the first six weeks after initial distribution. Among relevant simultaneous release attempts are Bubble (2006) by Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh , EMR (2005) by James Erskine & Danny McCullough, and The Road to Guantanamo (2006). Between 1967 and 1974,

5082-440: The time, firstly cable or pay TV) was around a year. In France, with the rise of home video, a law was created to give a theatrical window of one year before a film was made available to home video with it then being available to pay television then free-to-air television two or three years later. By 1985 in the United States, the theatrical window before a film was released on home video was normally four to six months, depending on

5159-475: Was announced that the movie Freakonomics would be released on video on demand on September 3, one month before its theatrical release. The British sci-fi movie Monsters has also undergone the same release timetable. After Netflix bought the worldwide distribution rights to Beasts of No Nation , the film was simultaneously released theatrically and online through its subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service on October 16, 2015. In late 2018, five of

5236-613: Was cancelled. One development that diminished the novelty of the modern roadshow release was that, beginning with Star Wars (1977), stereophonic sound began to be used more and more in films, evenor ones that were not really big-budget spectaculars. Most films, however, were at that time still released only with mono sound. Jaws , for example, made a mere two years before Star Wars , was originally released in this format. However, Reds (1981), Gandhi (1982) and Scarface (1983) originally received releases with intermissions, due to their extreme lengths, but while Gandhi received

5313-421: Was edited down to 95 minutes for general release, but restored to its full length on DVD. Frequently, unless the film was exceptionally long, the intermission, along with the overture, ent'racte music, and exit music would be eliminated when it went into general release, in order to save twenty minutes and possibly squeeze in more showings, and the film would be shown just like any other motion picture. Often too,

5390-558: Was first conceived in the 1970s as a strategy to keep different instances of a movie from competing with each other, allowing the movie to take advantage of different markets (cinema, home video, TV, etc.) at different times. In the standard process in 1979 in the United States, a movie was first released through movie theaters (theatrical window), then released to pay television for a short run before being re-released in theaters. It then returned to pay television before being made available for free-to-air television. Currently, after

5467-465: Was made available for video on demand purchases simultaneous to its theatrical release. In November 2020, Warner Bros. announced it would release Wonder Woman 1984 simultaneously in theaters and on Max , with theaters granted a higher 60% take of box office sales. In December 2020, Warner Bros. announced it would release its entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously in theaters and on Max for 30 days. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron criticized

5544-507: Was originally presented without on-screen credits to perpetuate a concert-going experience—the printed souvenir program, given out to patrons as they entered the theater, presented the film's credits. The original New York run of the English-language film Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), starring Jose Ferrer and based on Edmond Rostand 's 1897 French play, was likewise presented in a roadshow format (that is, one or two performances

5621-465: Was re-released in 1961 in the 70mm format with an overture, intermission and exit music, remixed into six-track stereophonic sound, and shown in a roadshow format. The film had originally been made in Cinemascope 55 and through advances in technology was now able to be re-released in a process called Grandeur 70 . Films made in three-camera Cinerama always received roadshow releases to show off

5698-574: Was shown in Technicolor, it was only from 35mm Panavision (anamorphic) film and mono sound. Only in Australia and in its 1973 London re-release was the picture shown in both 70mm and stereophonic sound. Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), another roadshow release, was also shown in 70mm 6-track only in Europe, while its U.S. release was in regular Panavision with monophonic sound. In addition to

5775-424: Was shown more than twice a day, but included an intermission. Although some very long films such as Gone with the Wind , which was re-released in 70mm and six track sound in 1967, would always be shown with an intermission and some films like Huckleberry Finn (1974) would be released with overtures until 1979, "reserved seat" showings of new films became extremely rare. The last film musical to officially receive

5852-565: Was true of the Richard Burton Hamlet , which was presented in the same type of extremely limited engagement as Othello . Filmed over two days in a black-and-white process called Electronovision , which resembled a 1960s videotaped broadcast, this three hours plus production featured none of the epic features that were a standard of roadshow theatrical release – no impressive scenery, no gorgeous color, no beautiful costumes, or stereophonic sound, only an intermission halfway through

5929-479: Was used for Gone with the Wind (1939). Running almost four hours in length, the film was divided into the above components. The original theatrical release of Walt Disney 's Fantasia , presented in Fantasound in selected large cities in the United States, never had an overture, entr'acte, or exit music. Still, Fantasia was first released in the roadshow format, included an intermission in its first run, and

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