The pandemic reshaped Hollywood’s release strategies and the trend towards shorter theatrical exclusivity continues.
A new report by the market research firm Omdia sheds light on the release strategies of Hollywood studios. While most new movies are still released in theaters, they are now available for rent and purchase (TVOD) or subscription-based (SVOD) streaming much faster than ever before.
Omdia's focus is specifically on Hollywood's home market, the United States.
Shorter theatrical windows
The report, which covers the years following the pandemic, reveals that in 2024, new movies were released for rental or purchase (TVOD) after an average of 37 days. This is shorter compared to 2023 and 2022 but longer than in 2021 during the pandemic.
The time between a theatrical premiere and its availability on subscription services like Netflix, Max and Disney+ is also decreasing each year. For the first time, it averaged less than 100 days in 2024.
Also read: Netflix co-CEO: Movie theaters are dying
Most theatrical releases now play exclusively in US movie theaters for less than 30 days, Omdia noted.
Disney has longest holdback, Netflix shortest
Despite disagreements and experiments with streaming premieres during the pandemic, Disney currently holds the distinction of having the longest theatrical exclusivity among major Hollywood studios.
Newer studios like Apple Studios and Netflix often skip theaters altogether and release major movies directly on their streaming platforms. The few movies Netflix does premiere in theaters have a very limited exclusive run to qualify for awards like Oscars.
Key findings by Omdia
| - Average theatrical exclusivity dropped slightly to 37 days for the first TVOD window (from 39 in 2023).
- Top 20 grossing films averaged 43 days, down from 58 — fewer long-window outliers.
- Just over half of $50M+ openers held to 45+ days exclusivity — despite exhibitor calls for longer windows.
- More titles released with under 30 days exclusivity than any other benchmark.
- Average time from first TVOD to SVOD release is now 60 days, down from 64.
- Disney leads in theatrical exclusivity: 61 days — 20 days longer than any other studio.
- SVOD windows also shortened: below 100 days for the first time. |
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