Apple Reportedly Planning to Release Movies in Theaters and Increase Spend to $1 Billion Per Year

Apple plans to increase its spend on movies for Apple TV+ to $1 billion annually, as well as release them in theaters globally, Bloomberg reports.

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The ‌Apple TV‌+ movies "CODA" and "Cherry" debuted in select theaters for a few weeks in 2021, but Apple apparently plans to instigate broader, more conventional theatrical releases in the future, facilitated by bigger movie budgets. The move is designed to raise the profile of ‌Apple TV‌+ in Hollywood, attract subscribers, and create "cultural events."

Apple is believed to have already approached several third-party distributors about collaborating to release ‌Apple TV‌+ titles in theaters this year, including Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," Matthew Vaughn's "Argylle," and Ridley Scott's "Napoleon." The movies are expected to be in theaters around the world for at least a month. Apple is purportedly looking to third-party studios owing to its lack of expertise in movie distribution across thousands of cinemas worldwide, but it has concerns around the hefty fees and marketing budgets that such partners would demand.

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Top Rated Comments

al256 Avatar
27 months ago
I'd rather see Apple buy a video game studio and start producing games for the Mac and iOS devices.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
27 months ago
More like Greyhound please!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
211 Avatar
27 months ago

Or Ol' Timmy wants a seat at the Oscars...

What makes a film eligible for the Oscars?

Theatrical premiere

Aside from the period of theatrical screenings, to be eligible for the Oscars a film must also have received its first public exhibition in a theatrical setting. If the film premiered on television, on a streaming site or on DVD, for example, it will not be eligible.
This is what happened with CODA, which then won Best Picture at the Oscars. And Tim Cook was there
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5105973 Avatar
27 months ago

I'm sure the 37 people out there who actually pay for Apple TV+ will be very excited to hear this news!
I’m one of those 37 people and frankly I have conflicted feelings about this news. As iOS and iCloud bugs and snafus increasingly impact my day to day tasks and I’m constantly hearing frustrating news about Apple’s penny pinching and cost cutting and price raising that I feel is negatively impacting consumer experience, I do question news like this.

However, I’m aware that just as most of us can walk and chew gum at the same time, Apple can structure itself to do more than one aspect of its business well. At least I hope so.

But I do wonder what’s going on over there every time I hear they’re putting a billion here, a billion there, and it’s not towards their hardware or what I always thought of as their core business. Like what did their $1 billion investment in Didi Chuxing ultimately gain them and us consumers?

I just wonder how these things pan out once the headlines fade and the returns are tallied up.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
japanime Avatar
27 months ago

Or Ol' Timmy wants a seat at the Oscars...
Umm ... You might want to check the list of Oscar winners for 2022. (Hint: Start with "Best Picture.")
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacWiz_007 Avatar
27 months ago
I'm sure the 37 people out there who actually pay for Apple TV+ will be very excited to hear this news!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)