If this summer movie season felt a lot shorter than it did in 2023, there may be a reason for that. In fact, it should have felt about 6 days shorter to be precise. That because the average exclusive theatrical release window of movies hitting cinemas between May and early September decreased from 41 days to 35 days. Though summer blockbusters usually hold off on premium video on demand (PVOD) availability, that wasn’t the case this year for all but of the season’s 32 wide theatrical releases.

The summer’s 35 day time frame is actually shorter than the average theatrical release window in all of 2023. The reason cited by some for the window shrinking by six days is that last year’s two summer hits, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” helped skew the average to a higher number. This summer, Disney maintained 67-day exclusive release windows for two of its blockbusters; “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” and Neon’s “Longlegs” had 35-day exlusive theatrical runs. Whereas Universal Pictures sent “Twisters” to PVOD after only 25 days in cinemas.

There is little data available to help determine whether an earlier PVOD release is affecting theatrical box office, though distributors may not entirely care if it did; keep 80% of such revenue verses roughly 50% from ticket sales. The good news for exhibitors thus far has been that a theatrical run helps boost the awareness and value of a film when it hits PVOD.