The movie distribution market in 2024 remains unsettled as studios continue to explore ways to balance potential revenue from box office earnings, transactional sales, licensing deals, and subscriptions to streaming services. Meanwhile, box office slumps have become increasingly common with the exception of a few high-profile titles. Here, we detail the most read Movie Tracker stories of the year.
10. The Return of the Summer Blockbusters
The stories around the box office weren’t all doom and gloom. In 2024, US summer box office revenue matched the first real post-Covid year, 2022. However, 2023 dramatically outperformed both, largely due to the Barbenheimer phenomenon.
9. Key Buyers in Movie Acquisition in the UK Continue to Shift
With the rise of vertical integration in Pay-One across most windows, the previously dominant position of Sky in this window in the UK has been significantly reduced. However, the Pay TV operator has started to claw back some of its share, aided by its relationship with Universal Pictures and innovative partnerships with major studios like Paramount.
8. Netflix Subscriber Success, Original TV Series Focus and First-Pay Movie Deals
While Netflix’s acquisition of TV series has slowed for several years in the first and second windows, its movie activity has remained relatively consistent. The SVOD giant is clearly keen to engage with studio content wherever possible to supplement its original films. We break down how its opportunities vary across different markets.
7. Movie Release Strategies Emerging from Studios in US
In 2024, we started to see more consistency in release strategies from studios. We broke down how each studio approaches the timing of transactional releases with Pay-One after theatrical runs. However, all strategies have their exceptions, as the success of certain titles can inspire entirely bespoke approaches.
6. The Biggest Buyers of Disney Films after Disney+
Disney has adopted licensing strategies for its films that are similar to those used for its scripted TV. It seems almost inevitable that its entire catalogue will appear on Disney+ in the Pay-One window internationally. After this initial appearance, there are still many opportunities for buyers to acquire Disney titles worldwide.
5. The Rise of Shared Pay-One Windows
A significant trend in 2024 was the rise of shared Pay-One windows between different services. For studios, this is a great way to generate additional revenue while continuing to support their direct-to-consumer services. For buyers, it provides an opportunity to acquire high-quality titles that might otherwise be too expensive as exclusive deals.
4. Netflix Q4 Financial Results Exceed Expectations
Netflix captured the interest of readers throughout the year, particularly as we analysed some of the top suppliers of movies on the platform in the first two windows of movie licensing.
3. Warner Activity on Netflix Continues to Accelerate
Warner’s Pay-Two deals on Netflix have grown consistently over the past few years as the studio has recognised Netflix’s value as a consistent buyer. It also serves as an opportunity to remind the SVOD audience of the content available on Max.
2. NBCUniversal Sees TV Success Alongside Global Box Office Triumph
Some of the biggest titles of 2023 were from Universal Pictures. As many of these titles started reaching services through Pay-One windows in 2024, the box office success first seen in 2023 only continued to grow.
1. Boom in PVOD/PEST Releases in the US
The US continues to lead the way in the premium transactional space, as more studios look to this window to capitalise further on their biggest box office successes.
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