According to a Wall Street Journal story, theaters must commit to a handful of terms laid out by Disney in order to show « Star Wars: The Last Jedi. »
The countdown is on for millions of « Star Wars » fans: It’s one month until the new installment of the mega-popular series hits theaters.
One theater that won’t be showing « Star Wars: The Last Jedi, » when it opens Dec. 15 is northeast Iowa’s Elkader Cinema .
« The biggest reason that I’m not going to show it is the four-week minimum play time, » owner Lee Akin told the Des Moines Register. « My little town cannot afford to play any movie for that long of a time. »
Elkader’s population is about 1,200. Akin’s theater in town is a single-screen auditorium that shows films at 7 p.m. on weeknights and in the afternoon on weekends. Ticket prices range from $4 to $9.25.
Why is this a big deal?
According to a Wall Street Journal story, theaters must commit to a handful of terms laid out by Walt Disney Co. in order to show « Last Jedi. » Some terms, per WSJ, include Disney receiving about 65 percent of ticket revenue — the largest cut a studio has ever asked from theaters.
Additionally, Disney is requiring theaters to screen the film in their largest auditorium for at least four weeks.
« I can’t get the entire town in my auditorium in one week’s time let alone four, » Akin said.
Violating the terms of the distribution agreement results in an additional 5 percent cut, WSJ reports — rounding out to 70 percent of profit from sales.
WSJ added that Disney’s terms on « Last Jedi » start if the film collects more than $500 million in the U. S. and Canada. It is expected to be a box-office smash.
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