‘Halloween Ends’ Leads Box Office; Why It Likely Doesn’t Signal End of Day-and-Date Releases for Peacock
‘Halloween Ends’ Leads Box Office; Why It Likely Doesn’t Signal End of Day-and-Date Releases for Peacock
By any metric that can be used to measure box office success, “Halloween Ends” killed it this weekend. The film, billed as the final installment in the Michael Myers franchise, took in over $40 million in its first week of release despite getting a day-and-date release on NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock.
The film’s Week 1 success has already reignited the debate surrounding the tactic of releasing films on streaming the same day that they arrive in theaters. Day-and-date releases became popular during the height of the COVID pandemic as a way to attract viewers to streaming services while theatrical audience numbers plummeted. WarnerMedia popularized day-and-date releases on HBO Max, but the company has re-emphasized theatrical releases as the company became Warner Bros. Discovery under CEO David Zaslav.
Halloween Ends
Four years after the events of Halloween in 2018, Laurie has decided to liberate herself from fear and rage and embrace life. But when a young man is accused of killing a boy he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that will force Laurie to finally confront the evil she can’t control, once and for all.
NBCU’s box office success may cause the company to re-think its strategies, as well. “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and “Nope” are all currently in the top 11 in terms of the 2022 domestic box office. The success of those films (which all debuted exclusively in theaters), combined with that of “Halloween Ends,” may convince NBCU that day-and-date releases on Peacock may not make financial sense.
Earlier this month, NBCU’s CEO Jeff Shell spoke with CNBC regarding Peacock's rise to 15 million paid subscribers and gave his thoughts on theatrical windows for Universal films.
“We have the best studios, therefore we’re going to have the best film product of any streamer,” he said. “For me, most movies feel like movies when they get a big, robust theatrical launch and then end up on Peacock a short time afterwards. That’s what makes them movies as opposed to just a long TV show.”
Directors who work with NBCU agree with the sentiment of giving films a theatrical release. Christopher Landon, who directed the 2020 Universal-distributed film “Freaky,” shared his thoughts about day-and-date releases on Twitter over the weekend.
Ooooooh I feel another rant coming on: Today it’s the Day & Date release strategy for Halloween Ends. Stop doing this. Please. It doesn’t work. Studios: stop gambling with filmmakers and their movies to try and prop up your fledgling streaming services. This happened to me on
— christopher landon (@creetureshow) October 15, 2022
Despite Shell and Landon’s feelings, day-and-date releases might be the best way for NBCU to raise Peacock’s profile, at least in the short term. Peacock is gaining subscribers but lags far behind giants like Netflix and Disney+. Sending big movies to Peacock on the same day that they are released in theaters is one of the most powerful cards NBCU holds for drawing more subscribers in.
That might be easier to mitigate for the company if it were able to keep ahold of its films once it gets them out of theaters and onto Peacock. But due to Universal’s licensing agreements, its films only get a short window on Peacock before they must move to either Prime Video (for live-action films) or Netflix (for animated films).
The strong box office numbers for “Halloween Ends” is a win-win for NBCU. The company clearly did not cannibalize its theatrical audience too much with a day-and-date streaming release, and its theatrical business is now $40 million richer. NBCU may discontinue day-and-date releases when/if it stops licensing its films to other streamers, but until then, expect it to keep using the strategy for select films in the future.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.