When To Stream’s Weekly Tracking Report
Welcome to When To Stream’s Weekly Tracking Report. Every Friday, we’ll break down the film titles whose first window streaming premieres are still not confirmed. This column will not examine second window SVOD premieres, though we’ll obviously still be tracking and reporting those.
One note: There are hundreds of new films every year, and we’re not able to track or highlight every single one. For now, we concentrate on major studio and indie distributor releases. If there are titles you’d like us to track, let us know in the comments. We’ll do our best to follow up, but might not have the bandwidth to spotlight fully.
Here are the film titles (in order of theatrical release) we are currently tracking:
Theatrical Release Date: July 28, 2023
Tracking: We promise we’re still tracking this. Reports indicate a Blu-ray release date in Japan is set for 2/28/24, so there’s hope a US release date is concurrent. We’re sticking with our estimate for now.
PVOD Estimate: February/March 2024
Theatrical Release Date: September 22, 2023
Tracking: With no announcement and no pre-order listing, it’s looking unlikely we’ll see this get a digital release in 2023. It is a re-issue, so it’s possible A24 skips a PVOD release and jumps right to an SVOD premiere, maybe to kick off their Max partnership. Either way, we’re pushing back our estimate.
PVOD/SVOD Estimate: January/February 2024
Theatrical Release Date: October 4, 2023
Tracking: Still no announcement from Sony Pictures Classics, and no pre-order available. It’s a bit of an unusual release, since the film is not feature length. We’re still sticking with our estimate.
PVOD Estimate: January 2024
Theatrical Release Date: October 27, 2023
Tracking: A bit of movement this week, as Angel Studios launched the title on their streaming platform on 12/11, which makes it available to their ‘Angel Investors.’ If they follow the Sound of Freedom playbook, After Death should have a PVOD launch three weeks later, which would mean a 1/2/24 debut. We’re adjusting our estimate to reflect that timeline.
PVOD Estimate: Early January 2024
Theatrical Release Date: November 3, 2023
Tracking: A PVOD date of 1/2/24 has been set.
Theatrical Release Date: November 3, 2023
Tracking: Still no announcement, and no pre-order listing yet. We’re pushing our estimate back a bit to reflect the lack of messaging. It could still surprise with a sudden holiday launch, but we’re leaning more towards 2024.
PVOD Estimate: January 2024
Theatrical Release Date: November 10, 2023
Tracking: Both Antman 3 and Guardians Vol. 3 enjoyed 60-day theatrical exclusive windows earlier in the year. We have no reason to believe Disney will alter their strategy for The Marvels. We’ll hopefully hear some news in the next week or two.
PVOD Estimate: Mid January 2024
Theatrical Release Date: November 10, 2023
Tracking: A PVOD date of 12/22 has been set.
ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY
Theatrical Release Date: November 10, 2023
Tracking: Janus keeps their films exclusively in theaters between 3 and 4 months. That means it’s unlikely we’ll see Orlando on PVOD or Criterion Channel until early next year.
PVOD/SVOD Estimate: Late February/Early March 2024 (Criterion Channel)
Theatrical Release Date: November 10, 2023
Tracking: A Oscar-hopeful in the Documentary Feature category, A Still Small Voice is being distributed by Abramorama Films, whose digital releases are all over the map. Look for it to get fast-tracked to PVOD if it gets nominated.
PVOD Estimate: Late January 2024
Theatrical Release Date: November 17, 2023
Tracking: As most predicted, Next Goal Wins pretty much tanked in theaters. Will Searchlight push up the streaming date to make it available before the holidays? We don’t think so, and are estimating the Disney 60-day window will stick.
PVOD/SVOD Estimate: Mid January 2024 (Hulu)
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE
Theatrical Release Date: November 17, 2023
Tracking: This acclaimed doc is losing most of its screens this weekend, so it seems likely we’ll have a pre-order up with a PVOD date soon. Our mid-January estimate is conservative, but we’re sticking with it.
PVOD Estimate: Mid January 2024
Theatrical Release Date: November 17, 2023
Tracking: After receiving 2 Golden Globe nominations this week, this Finnish romantic comedy is gaining steam. Still, we’re holding on our estimate. Unless the film really breaks out at the box-office, we think MUBI will want it on their platform while the word of mouth is still warm.
PVOD/SVOD Estimate: Mid/Late January 2024 (MUBI)
Theatrical Release Date: November 22, 2023
Tracking: We laid out our official forecast, and haven’t changed our minds since. Seems to be losing a bit of steam at the box-office, so look for updates after the holidays.
PVOD Estimate: Early January 2024
Theatrical Release Date: November 22, 2023
Tracking: The days of Encanto, which hit Disney+ about a month after its theatrical launch, are long over. Disney has been trying to re-train its audience not to expect short windows. Elemental’s long legs at the box-office seems to indicate it’s working. We expect Wish will follow Disney’s new normal: a 60-day exclusive theatrical window, followed by a one-month PVOD window.
PVOD Estimate: Late January 2024
SVOD Estimate: Late February 2024 (Disney+)
Theatrical Release Date: November 22, 2023
Tracking: The latest epic documentary from Frederick Wiseman will slowly roll-out in theaters through the winter. Like his other films, this one will not be distributed through traditional digital or VOD platforms. Instead, it will eventually stream through Kanopy, which can be accessed with a local library card.
SVOD Estimate: Mid 2024 (Kanopy)
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 2023
Tracking: Some news here. Eagle-eyed Twitter/X friend Zach Culleton found this Prime Video ad promoting December PVOD premieres:
As you can see, Eileen is listed as premiering on 12/19. It’s certainly a possibility, but we’re leaning toward a later launch. We’ve seen no other digital or VOD providers indicate a 12/19 debut for the Anne Hathaway film. This ad also has a 12/8 launch for Cat Person. That film has yet to appear on Prime Video. So while there’s always a chance Eileen could appear suddenly this Tuesday, we’re sticking with our estimate.
PVOD Estimate: Early January 2024
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 2023
Tracking: A real wild card. Not much history to go off of with distributor Toho International. We’re estimating at least a 60-day exclusive theatrical window, with an SVOD partner coming on board as well. It’s box-office success and great word of mouth has us pushing back our estimate a bit.
PVOD Estimate: Late February 2024
RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCE
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 2023
Tracking: With Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour announcing a PVOD debut after a 60-day theatrical window, we have a bit of a template for AMC Theaters’s distribution arm. We’re thinking Queen Bey got the same deal.
PVOD Estimate: Early February 2024
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 2023
Tracking: Angel Studios did not keep their hot streak going after the successes of Sound of Freedom and After Death. But like those titles, we’re still thinking The Shift will take its time to reach streaming.
PVOD Estimate: Early February 2024
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 2023
Tracking: A PVOD date of 12/19 has been set.
Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 2023
Tracking: A PVOD date of 2/27/24 has been set.
Theatrical Release Date: December 8, 2023
Tracking: Wim Wenders’ first of two film this winter (PERFECT DAYS will come early in 2024) is best experienced in 3D. Janus Films will likely keep this in theaters as long as they can, as they should. We don’t expect any sort of streaming release until Spring 2024.
PVOD/SVOD Estimate: Mid March 2024 (Criterion Channel)
Theatrical Release Date: December 8, 2023
Tracking: Although it’s been screening in limited release for a few weeks, we’re treating 12/8 as its proper release date. As with most GKIDS releases, it’s likely to have a long theatrical-exclusive window. This is their highest profile title in a long time, so there’s always a chance they revise their strategy. But for now, we’re estimating a long window.
PVOD Estimate: Late March 2024
Theatrical Release Date: December 8, 2023
Tracking: With a strong showing in its limited release, and an impressive Golden Globe nominations haul, Poor Things is firing on all cylinders. The film expands today, and goes semi-wide next week. We’re sticking to our current tracking estimates.
PVOD Estimate: Late February 2024
SVOD Estimate: Late March 2024 (Hulu)
Theatrical Release Date: December 15, 2023
Tracking: Warner Bros kicks off its big December (with Aquaman and The Color Purple still to come) with this big-budget fantasy adventure. The company has shown flexibility with their theatrical windows. They don’t hesitate to pull the plug on flops (Shazam!, Meg 2), while allowing their hits some breathing room (Hi Barbie!). We think Wonka is going to play well through the holidays and in to the new year, so it’ll likely enjoy a healthy theatrical window.
PVOD Estimate: Late January/Early February 2024
Theatrical Release Date: December 15, 2023
Tracking: Opening in limited release today, then expanding in the next few weeks, we’ll see if American Fiction takes the Saltburn route (5 weeks to SVOD) or the Foe route (4.5 weeks to PVOD). We suppose major Oscar nominations and breakout box-office could delay streaming, but we’ve seen nothing to indicate Amazon MGM has much patience. Prove us wrong!
PVOD/SVOD Estimate: Late January 2024 (We think it’ll be either PVOD or Prime Video, not both)
Theatrical Release Date: December 15, 2023
Tracking: Opening in limited release today, we think A24 will be in it for the long haul. Oscar nominations are likely, and the indie has shown patience with even their smallest titles. Look for slow expansion over the coming weeks, with a wider release when Oscar noms are announced on January 23rd. This one will take its sweet time to get to streaming.
PVOD Estimate: Late February/Early March 2024
Next week we’ll begin tracking:
