The entertainment world has been left shaken and stirred by production studio Warner Bros’ decision to release its tent pole movie Wonder Woman 1984 simultaneously in theatres and on HBO Max, the streaming service it owns. With the second wave of Covid-19 forcing people to stay away from theatres, fans of the superhero franchise are happy that they’ll be able to watch the hotly awaited movie on Christmas day, from the safety of their homes.
Which brings us to the question: do buzzy Direct OTT films increase subscriptions to the streaming platform that has bought the rights to digitally premiere that buzzy film? The answer is most certainly a ‘yes’.
We can also say this with certainty: Wonder Woman 1984 releasing on streaming on HBO Max will definitely drive up subscriptions to HBO Max, and by an exponential rate too. Wonder Woman 1984 releasing on HBO Max on Christmas is the best Christmas present families could have hoped for. It is the best fun households can have as a family around Christmas and New Year. Thus, most homes that had been holding back on taking active paid subscriptions to HBO Max will give in now and pick up that subscription.
The effect is not without precedent. Greyhound’s premiere on Apple TV Plus in July drove up Apple TV Plus subscriptions. As per media analysis firm, Antenna Data, one in every five Apple TV+ subscribers in Q3 came during the week after the release of Tom Hanks’ Greyhound. Similarly, over one in four Disney+ sign-ups for the quarter came the week after the release of Hamilton on Disney’s streaming service.
Closer home, the release of Soorarai Pottru on Amazon Prime Video, and then Chhalaang, has led to a sizeable rise in subscribers to the streaming service in India. Both Dil Bechara in July, and Laxmii as a Diwali release, have driven up Disney Plus Hotstar‘s subscriber base in the country.
Though both platforms have not shared any definite numbers, they have hinted as such. They announced that Soorarai Pottru on Amazon Prime Video and Laxmii on Disney Plus Hotstar have captured the highest movie openings ever.
The above examples, both Indian and international, clearly point to the fact that buzzy films that skip theatres and stream directly on OTT definitely rake in new subscribers for the concerned streaming platform. As it will be for HBO Max when it streams Wonder Woman 1984 on December 25th.
Stay tuned to Binged.com as we bring you fresh updates on the response to the digital premiere of Wonder Woman 1984 with regards to subscription rates of HBO Max.
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