Whoa! Disney Puts The Force Choke on Movie Theaters Who Want To Screen STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

Disney Studios has recently revealed the conditions that movie theaters have to abide by if they want to screen Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Disney is changing things up and they are tapping into the dark side to put a force choke on theaters. They are pretty much saying, "I am altering the deal. Pray, I don't alter it any further."

The news comes from the Wall Street Journal, who says that theaters have to agree to the terms set, or they will not be allowed to show The Last Jedi in their theaters. What are those terms, you ask? 

First, the theaters must pay Disney 65% of the share of ticket-sales revenue. That's 10% more than the average rate. Upping that to 65% sets a new benchmark for the industry. 

Second, Disney is requiring that the theaters reserve their largest theater auditorium for 4-weeks exclusively for The Last Jedi.

If any theater doesn't follow these terms to the letter they are in violation. The consequence is that Disney will charge an additional 5% of ticket-sales revenue as a penalty. 

Disney knows that they have the power to make theaters bend to their will and as you can see, they are completely taking advantage of it. Theaters want The Last Jedi because they know it will bring in the big money. Of course, Disney is wanting more of a cut of that big money that the theaters bring in.

I understand that the industry has to evolve, but this is pretty crazy. I imagine this won't really affect the big movie theater chains, but I imagine it will affect the smaller theaters out there. Some theaters are saying that the terms are “the most onerous they’ve ever seen” and some are refusing to show the movie on their screens.

One film buyer told the WSJ, “They’re in the most powerful position any studio has ever been in, maybe since MGM in the 1990s.” 

What do you think about what Disney is asking from theaters?