The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) is in a spat with the French government over theatrical window mandates.
The Burbank, California-based entertainment giant is yanking its upcoming animated feature, “Strange World,” from French cinemas and sending it straight to the Disney+ streaming service.
What Happened: In February, France updated its rules on the window between a theatrical release and a streaming presentation, which previously required a 36-month waiting period for a subscription video on demand (SVOD) premiere. The French government held negotiations with film companies, streaming services and television channels to determine a new window length.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) signed on for the new mandate and was granted a 15-month waiting period, but Disney and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) did not and they were assigned a 17-month period.
“Strange World,” the next animated feature under the Disney brand, is scheduled for a global release in late November. However, the studio alerted Deadline that the film will not be playing in French theaters as a protest against the new window period.
“‘Strange World’ will be available to all Disney+ subscribers in France, foregoing a French cinematic release,” the company said in a prepared statement. “While we support French cinema — and have for decades — the new, cumbersome media chronology is anti-consumer, ignoring how behavior has evolved over the last several years and puts us at increased risk for piracy.”
The company added this decision was specific to “Strange World” and it would “continue to make decisions on a film-by-film basis and according to each market’s unique conditions.”
Why It Happened: According to Deadline, Disney’s theatrical releases in France are made available for SVOD purchase four months after their debut and then become available to Canal Plus television channel after six months. Seventeen months after their big-screen release, the films go to Disney Plus+ for five months, and then they are removed from the streaming service for presentation on free-to-air channels for 14 months before returning to Disney+ 36 months later.
The French government created this system in order to protect theatrical exhibitors from audience encroachment by other platforms. In bypassing a theatrical release, Disney throws the proverbial monkey wrench into the system by using its streaming service for the local premiere of a major animated film.
Disney released an online trailer of “Strange World” on Monday in all markets where a theatrical release is planned, but it was not made accessible to French viewers.
Photo: A scene from "Strange World," courtesy of Disney.
