Disney Signs Deal With Cineworld for Its Movies to Be Shown at Regal in the U.S.

Theaters are reopening across the United States as various municipalities begin relaxing their COVID-related policies and procedures. As such, Hollywood studios are at the forefront of getting back into business, making sure the right deals are in place with exhibitors for a post-COVID boom at the cinema. That includes the House of Mouse, which just inked a deal with Regal to guarantee the placement of Disney movies in Regal Cinemas across the country as they reopen.

As with similar deals we’ve seen in the past, Deadline reports Disney was looking to shorten the theatrical window for some of its upcoming blockbusters. As such, Disney and Cineworld — the parent company behind Regal — were able to strike a deal that will see movies from all of Disney’s studios carry a 45-day theatrical exclusivity. Despite upcoming releases like Cruella, Black Widow, and Jungle Cruise receiving day-and-date releases on Disney+ Premier Access, all three movies will still be shown in Regal theaters in both the United States and the United Kingdom under this new deal.

Though the deal is shortened from the previous timeframe, it’s not as short as the deals other studios have in place. A similar deal between Universal and Cineworld will have a tiered structure. Universal movies that gross above $50 million opening weekend will receive a 31-day window while movies that open under the threshold will only be required to be exclusively in theaters for 17 days. This allows Universal to bump smaller projects straight to PVOD or streaming partners just two weeks after release.

Interestingly enough, Regal was one of the first theater chains to initially boycott Universal this time last year, after the studio became one of the first to pull movies from theaters in favor of PVOD in light of the increasing pandemic.

“Cineworld’s policy with respect to the window is clear, well known in the industry and is part of our commercial deal with our movie suppliers,” Cineworld said in a statement last April. “We invest heavily in our cinemas across the globe and this allows the movie studios to provide customers all around the world to watch the movies in the best experience. There is no argument that the big screen is the best way to watch a movie.”

Cover photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images