Warner Bros exec JP Richards named Apple TV+ head of marketing strategy

Could Apple buy a major theater chain, reinvent them as Apple Centers for the Arts & Technology and show theatrical films, concerts, TED-like talks, standup. etc? Or would there be antitrust issues?

The film release strategy could be thirty to forty-five days in their theaters, followed by migration to Apple TV as exclusive content.

This will be of high interest to major film makers who are increasingly untrustworthy of studios/streamers diminishing the theatrical experience (WB being the latest), and perhaps would be seen to be the best of both worlds for many of them to move to production deals with Apple. So the long term play here is content ownership, even though it would be a loss at the start. I'm guessing AMC is (relatively) dirt cheap now...

Apple could integrate some level of interactive or pre/post event services/content into the experiences, and have technology showcases in most or all of the locations to showcase their products and related talent, "behind the curtain" educational/informational pods, etc. They could offer an outlet for local schools and colleges to put on performances and art showcases.

Remember, Apple is at the intersection of ...



(ok, not precisely a liberal arts play, but you get the drift...)

Jesus. Can’t they afford to hire someone like Bob Iger instead of this guy from a studio known for only having hit movies completely by accident?

thrang said:

Could Apple buy a major theater chain, reinvent them as Apple Centers for the Arts & Technology and show theatrical films, concerts, TED-like talks, standup. etc? Or would there be antitrust issues?

The film release strategy could be thirty to forty-five days in their theaters, followed by migration to Apple TV as exclusive content.

This will be of high interest to major film makers who are increasingly untrustworthy of studios/streamers diminishing the theatrical experience (WB being the latest), and perhaps would be seen to be the best of both worlds for many of them to move to production deals with Apple. So the long term play here is content ownership, even though it would be a loss at the start. I'm guessing AMC is (relatively) dirt cheap now...

Apple could integrate some level of interactive or pre/post event services/content into the experiences, and have technology showcases in most or all of the locations to showcase their products and related talent, "behind the curtain" educational/informational pods, etc. They could offer an outlet for local schools and colleges to put on performances and art showcases.

Remember, Apple is at the intersection of ...



(ok, not precisely a liberal arts play, but you get the drift...)

I actually love this idea. They wouldn’t even need to run them as theatres. They’d have theatres, but they’d also be places where they could do classes, have 1 on 1 appointments, sell iPhones, etc. 

My major concern with this though, is what kind of Arts would they be doing? Granted with TV+ Apple is actually producing content. But previously they liked to keep an almost Disney like vibe. So would it lean more toward ballet, classical, or folk where the crowds aren’t rowdy, or would they have rock and hardcore shows?

I feel like the idea is fun in concept but the more I think about it the more I think it would open Apple up to criticism or potential legal problems. (Somebody crowd surfs at a concert, breaks their neck, Apple is a huge lawsuit target.)

also theatres are a massive commitment for rent. They might get the building cheap, but making money in it post pandemic (assuming there is a post pandemic) might not be a sure enough bet for them to take a bite. 

I'm excited about Ridley Scott doing a period piece. I'm not so excited that it stars Joaquin Phoenix.

SpamSandwich said:

Jesus. Can’t they afford to hire someone like Bob Iger instead of this guy from a studio known for only having hit movies completely by accident?

Well, you were happy to let a bankrupt game show host run a country so … 🤷🏾‍♂️