Blockbusters Drive Viewership for Streamers. Will They Drive revenue?
After almost a year of existence, Apple TV+ is still trying to find its best path forward. It launched with a limited number of buzzy original series and not much else, which seemed to indicate an approach that focused on prestige and on series over feature films. Recently, though, this has shifted. Apple has reportedly been in the market for older shows, hoping to build a back catalog that will allow them to offer more content without paying to make all of it themselves.
At the same time, Apple is looking to expand beyond original series and into original movies. The first big film to debut on Apple TV+, Tom Hanks’ Greyhound, became available earlier this month. The film was initially going to be shown in theaters this summer, but the pandemic made that impossible. Sony, who had distribution rights, decided it would rather sell the movie than wait it out. Apple purchased those rights, and then watched Greyhound break records.
While there are no exact numbers — because of course there aren’t — the movie has apparently performed so well that…
