While unveiling its slate of new French originals and acquisitions on Monday, Prime Video announced that it would skip a French theatrical release for “Challengers,” Luca Guadagnino’s anticipated tennis drama. The film, which stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and “West Side Story” star Mike Faist, will still be released in theaters in all other territories.
During a posh press event hosted at the Pavillon Royal on the outskirts of Paris, Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, Prime Video’s country managing director for France, said the strategic move by the Amazon streamer resulted from France’s notoriously strict windowing rules, which demands streamers to wait 15 to 17 months after a theatrical roll out before making a new film available on their services. The rule has led other studios to opt to skip French cinemas for new releases before, such as Disney’s decision to debut “Strange World” on streaming.
“We’re a strong partner for French cinema and well-established talent. We contribute to the National Film Board’s subsidy scheme, but streaming services have been incited to no opt for theatrical releases fo our original films,” Ricou-Bellan told journalists. “Subscription-based services have been placed at a strong disadvantage compared due to this windowing system.”
The executive pointed out there’s “very active dialogues” to update the rules and that she “truly hopes they will lead to more flexibility to benefit audiences and Prime subscribers in particular.”
Ricou-Bellan hinted that “Challengers” won’t be the last Prime Video movie to forgo a release in French cinemas. “Up next, we’re continuing to favor the expectations of fans and our members,” she stated.
