The cinema will always hold a special place in the hearts of movie lovers. It’s the place you go to zone out from the world around you, the place you had your first date, the place you watch the biggest film releases with other fans, and it’s the place you visit to see the best Apple Original movies on offer.
Well, that could all be about to change. A new report from movie journalist Jeff Sneider, says Apple could be done with movie releases for good, opting for straight-to-streaming like its biggest competitors. A source reached out to Sneider stating, “Apple is done with wide theatrical releases for all of its movies.” And if accurate, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Wolfs, one of Apple TV Plus’ biggest releases of the year starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney was set to release in theaters on September 20 but will now have a smaller limited release before arriving on the streaming service the week later. Why would Apple want fewer people watching its major release on the silver screen?
No more Apple at the cinema?
The source says there’s one exception to this rule, F1 starring Brad Pitt. This huge release about the world of Formula One racing releases next summer and will be distributed by Warner Bros — after that, Apple will be done for good with the cinema.
The source added, “Apple’s all about good PR, and they don’t need the bad PR from all these movies not doing well, is how the individual explained it to me, though they noted that the decision wasn’t a reflection on Wolfs, which was “actually pretty good, [and] would’ve done fine.”
So it looks like the best movies on Apple TV Plus could release directly on the streaming platform after summer 2025. While that’s a very exciting prospect for subscribers, it’s not good news for the cinema. Equally, it’s worth noting that Apple’s decision to stop releasing films at the pictures is because ticket sales have been far from a success — so are cinemas really missing out?
