Universal Pictures is changing course in 2026, extending the time its films stay in theaters after years of shorter release windows that helped push audiences toward streaming. The studio announced it will now keep all releases in theaters for at least five weekends before heading to Premium Video on Demand. The move marks a major shift after six years of pandemic-driven habits that reshaped how audiences watch movies.
According to a report from The New York Times, the policy begins with the release of this week’s release of Reminders of Him, based on the Colleen Hoover novel. Universal’s 2026 schedule includes titles such as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, The Odyssey from Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, Minions and Mayhem, Fockers-in-Law, and Violent Night 2. The studio plans to expand the window again in 2027 to seven weekends, signaling a longer-term investment in theaters. The change will not apply to Focus Features, the Universal division behind films like Hamnet, Bugonia, and Song Sung Blue.
“Our windowing strategy has always been designed to evolve with the marketplace, but we firmly believe in the primacy of theatrical exclusivity,” said Universal Pictures chair Donna Langley. “We want to support a healthy, sustainable theatrical ecosystem.”
The statement comes nearly six years after the company helped redefine movie distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2020, Universal released Trolls World Tour directly to PVOD, defying theater owners who were struggling to stay open. AMC Theatres briefly vowed to stop carrying Universal movies before the two sides struck a deal allowing films to hit streaming just 17 days after release if they opened below $50 million. That experiment helped push rival studios toward shorter theatrical runs.
Warner Bros. soon unveiled its controversial Project Popcorn plan, putting its 2021 slate on HBO Max and in theaters on the same day. The fallout cost Warner Bros. its relationship with director Christopher Nolan, who brought his Oscar-winning Oppenheimer to Universal instead. By 2022, Warner Bros. adopted a 45-day window, while Disney stuck closer to 60 days. Now, Universal is once again leading a shift in the opposite direction.
AMC CEO Adam Aron praised the move, calling Universal’s renewed commitment to theaters “extraordinarily beneficial” to both AMC and the wider exhibition industry. Aron said the studio’s willingness to give films more time on big screens shows faith in the future of moviegoing.
Shorter windows of recent years have trained audiences to wait for streaming rather than buy theater tickets. A 2025 study found that only half of American adults went to the movies last year, with younger viewers making up a growing share of those who did. The domestic box office still lags behind pre-pandemic levels, and many wonder if it will ever fully recover. As a potential merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount Skydance looms, Universal’s decision could become one of the industry’s last major pushes to keep theaters relevant in the digital age.
***
English (US) · 