As the likes of Universal and Warner Bros. have rethought how they release movies, so Paramount is altering its own policies. In the States, the company is halving the theatrical "window" – how long its films are exclusively shown in cinemas – to 45 days before they appear on Paramount+.
Right now, this mostly applies to the US, where the service – which was previously known as CBS All Access – will rebrand and launch on 4 March. Other territories are coming, though we've yet to learn whether it will head to the UK. And it points to films going to other home entertainment venues (Premium Video On Demand) for now.
Paramount's current plan is to play bigger movies, such as Mission: Impossible 7 (dated for 17 November) and A Quiet Place Part II (scheduled for 17 September), while others are now looking at 30 days before making the move.
The news was announced as part of a big launch event for Paramount+, which will also include TV adaptations of movies such as Fatal Attraction, The Italian Job and The Parallax View and some films going straight to the service, including a Pet Sematary prequel and the nextParamount Activitymovie. Also finally making progress? The long-gestating return of Frasier spearheaded by Kelsey Grammer. It's all part of the streaming service's plan to compete with the likes of Disney+ and Netflix.