The Polish period romance “Cold War,” for instance, has played in 217 theaters in the United States since arriving on Dec. 21, generating $2.1 million in ticket sales. The film will expand to roughly 275 locations on Friday. (“Cold War,” nominated for three Oscars, comes from Amazon Studios, which adheres to traditional Hollywood release patterns; it will not be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video until March 22.)
Netflix cobbled together a theatrical run for “Roma” despite opposition from the biggest theater owners, including AMC Theaters and Regal Cinemas. Most movies still arrive in the same way they have for decades: first in theaters, for an exclusive run of about 90 days, and then in homes. AMC, Regal and other theater companies worry that shortening that period will hurt their already-fragile business.
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