One of the biggest announcements to hit entertainment news over the past few years came at the end of 2020 when two major studios in Warner Bros and Disney announced that the majority of their 2021 titles would see a straight to streaming release on platforms like HBO Max and Disney+ and would seemingly follow the trend of other major entertainment options with the likes of gaming on these sites moving online with the disruptions found to traditional brick and mortar locations, but despite the initial success and the praises by many, it seems the straight to streaming hopes may not last.

Some of the change may come as disputes with a big marvel release in Black Widow hit some shaky ground with a dispute around the release schedule and how this may have a future impact on actor salaries which can often be tied to box office points, this alone may have certainly been enough to discourage some studios from chasing this new approach with the threat of future legal battles and disagreements with the biggest talent who may even boycott straight to streaming releases entirely.

Similarly the big calls for a return to cinema may have been enough to encourage a change too, some of the biggest directors had been very outspoken about the loss of experience for those watching at home and urged viewers for the biggest blockbusters to return to cinema with little chance to do anything other as the big Christmas releases were all set for an exclusive theatre release reducing the options for viewing later in the year – it has been looking like the release schedule will slow down particularly as one of the two big studios to commit to this only have a limited number set to do so next year too.

That isn’t to say there’s a complete loss of hope for those who are wanting to see a future where all major releases have a streaming alternative – figures for this past year have been very high and the straight to streaming model has by all accounts been deemed a very strong success which means some studios may see the big value in it still, and early cinema numbers whilst high may seem  inflated as those in a hurry to get back to normal hurry back to entertainment options like these.

It’ll be an exciting future for the possibility, and there are still plenty of opportunities for those who aren’t yet ready to get back to the theatre too, and the great number of shows that online platforms like Netflix and Disney are still producing to a very high quality that may offset the lack of movies that could hit streaming services soon.