Relief for French cinemas: Disney confirmed this Monday the theatrical release on November 9 of the next Marvel movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Foreverwhich he threatened to book for his online video platform to push for media timeline reform.
This recently revised French regulation protects cinemas, channels and broadcasters that finance creation, regulating the order in which films are released on the Internet, in commerce or on television.
Disney can now, like Amazon, put its productions online 17 months after their theatrical release, up from 36 previously. Netflix, which contributes to French creation, can do the same after 15 months and Canal+, one of France’s main financiers, after six months.
Disaster scenario for theaters
But Disney, locked in a multibillion-dollar global battle for platform market supremacy and having shied away from the first deal, is already pushing, eight months later, to review these rules. In his sights: the obligation to withdraw his films from the platform when they go through the free channels, after 22 months.
In the negotiations, opened at the beginning of October under the aegis of the National Center for Cinematography (CNC), the firm with the big ears had threatened not to release certain feature films in theaters, as it had already been able to do with the ‘animated film Avalonia the strange journeyeven if that means depriving yourself of the corresponding income.
A disaster scenario for theaters, traumatized by a drop of around a third, since the Covid pandemic, in their attendance (record low in September) and they trembled at the idea of seeing this potential blockbuster escape.
Disney won’t end up doing anything about it: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever It will open in theaters in France on November 9, two days earlier than in the United States. Consequently, it will only be available on Disney + in the spring of 2024, according to the current rules that, in any case, must be “completely reviewed”, insists the American multinational in a statement sent to AFP.
New negotiations in November
On the side of the cinema operators, the moment is therefore one of relief: “The premiere of Black Panther is something very good for the cinema, for the spectators and, from our point of view, also for Disney”, he reacted to the AFP Marc. -Olivier Sebbag, general delegate of the Federation of French cinemas.
In 2018, the first part of the superhero film starring black actors in the imaginary kingdom of Wakanda achieved 3.8 million admissions in France, with a premiere notably marked by the death of its lead actor, Chadwick Boseman.
New negotiations are scheduled for November, during which the protagonists of the case will try to present their arguments.
Disney thus promises to contribute “constructively to the reflections and debates (…) to define as of February 2023 a new framework (…) fair, flexible and incentivizing for the release of films in theaters.”
However, the firm continues to threaten: “in the meantime, we will continue to decide on a case-by-case basis the strategy for the release of our films.”
“Not everything is resolved, there is still a lot of work to be done,” emphasizes Marc-Olivier Sebbag, although he welcomes “the constructive approach” of the American group.
Source: BFM TV
