As the world deals with the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), almost every industry is being hit hard financially. And since we cover film and TV, we have focused primarily on how the theatrical distribution business has been crippled over the last month in the wake of the global pandemic. Well, in Sweden, it appears that folks are coming together to help figure out how to keep the country’s film distribution industry afloat by bridging the gap between streaming and theatrical.
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According to Deadline, Göteborg Film Festival’s VOD platform Draken Film is teaming with Swedish film distributors to provide a way for them to release first-run films in the country while also helping to give some money to the cinemas that remain closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is simple—Draken Films will release films to its subscribers via its streaming platform, and when new subscribers sign up over the next six months, the people will choose which local theater to support. And over that six-month period, 50% of the revenue generated by new subscribers will be sent to the Swedish theaters.
Jonas Holmberg, Artistic Director at Göteborg Film Festival, said, “The coronavirus is a tough blow to the film industry. Cinemas being empty and even closing down will affect everyone working with quality films, the consequences for the cinemas are likely to be devastating. It is now the cinemas need our and everyone’s support.”
As for the first wave of films that will find their way to Draken Film, the lineup includes Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait Of A Lady On Fire,” Hlynur Pálmason’s “A White, White Day,” Kirill Mikhanovsky’s “Give Me Liberty,” Haifaa al-Mansour’s “The Perfect Candidate,” and Mona Chokri’s “A Brother’s Love.”
Obviously, given the relatively small film distribution territory of Sweden, doing this sort of release strategy could be a big help for the struggling cinemas. However, it’s unclear if this is the blueprint for a system that could help US theaters or other cinemas around the world, especially those in larger territories. Obviously, any money coming in is better than no money coming in, and even though AMC, Regal, Cinemark, and other chains are probably going to survive the closures, it’s the independent theaters that are going to be hit the hardest.
Maybe, for those arthouse cinemas, which make their money screening films like “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” a system like what Draken Film has devised could work?
