Universal wants to keep its films showing in theaters longer

A positive signal to halt the decline of North American cinemas. In an interview with New York Times, NBC Universal Entertainment President Donna Langley announced that effective March 1^is April, its studio’s films will remain on display for five weeks, compared to less than three weeks today. The exclusivity time for cinemas will even be increased to seven weeks in 2027.

This decision contrasts with the measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic. If historically films were reserved for screenings for 90 days before 2020, since the pandemic Universal Studios had decided to reduce the exclusivity time to seventeen days, the equivalent of three weekends.

This choice to return to a longer projection time responds to the demand of cinema owners, who hope to see the public go to the cinema more, without waiting for broadcasts on streaming or vOD platforms. Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theaters welcomed a “great news! “. This decision comes as the film industry struggles to return to pre-pandemic attendance levels. The number of tickets sold annually remains around 20% below pre-pandemic levels. From 2010 to 2019, the number of entries per year in France was on average 209 million; it only reached 180 million admissions in 2024 (the best year after covid) and fell to 157 million in 2025. Even though the French market is considered one of the most resilient.

This announcement from Universal follows that of Paramount, whose CEO, David Ellison, explained that he wanted to prioritize the release of films in theaters in the future. “Each film will benefit from a real theatrical release, respecting the operating windows provided for by the media chronology in France”. The decision will take effect from April 1, when the Super Mario Galaxy .