Release Window
From ForcaWiki, the simple encyclopedia
| In one sentence | A specific stretch of time and a specific place where a movie is available, like theaters first, then streaming, then television. |
|---|---|
| Category | Film and Television |
| Related | Windowing, Distribution, Exhibitor |
Think about how a new toy sometimes shows up first at a big toy convention, then later in stores, and only much later gets marked down in the clearance bin. Each of those is a different stretch of time when the toy is available in a different place, aimed at a different kind of buyer.
A release window works the same way for a movie. It is one specific method of getting a film in front of an audience, tied to a specific place and stretch of time, like theaters, home purchase and rental, premium streaming, or free television. A single movie usually passes through several release windows over its lifetime, offered to a slightly different audience, often at a different price, in each one.
Fun facts
- Release windows are usually ordered from the ones that make the most money per viewer, like theaters, down to the ones that make the least, like free, ad supported television.
- Streaming has changed how release windows work a lot, with some movies skipping theaters entirely or shrinking the time between windows down to just weeks.
- Moving a movie through several release windows in order, one after another, is itself called Windowing.