1. Yes it was to have been a theatrical release. The mouse paid the huge sum of $70 million. They won the deal by a long shot. (There is a back story, obvious enough.) Hamilton got that, less the cost of production etc.
2. Hamilton was not streamed; it is still available on Disney+. It HAS negatively affected sales, on Broadway and likely even more so on tour and internationally. The difference is that Hamilton could afford the hit and still look really good. A lot of shows couldn't.
3. That money is a lot for a film acquisition like this, but it's a drop in the bucket for a show that has total revenue well over a billion dollars and although they can "afford" the loss, that's not the way a commercial business thinks.
4. Sorry but the preferences of people who'd rather stay home doesn't really fit into my equation. In our increasingly digital world, the uniqueness of theatre is that one experiences it live, as a shared experience. We already have film and TV but if seeing live "theatre" is what enough people are after, then let it be done on a sound stage like the networks do. It'll work and look a lot better for the average audience than streaming a performance with actors speaking to people in a room, lighting that's geared to that room, etc.
5. Finally telling those who believe theatre is a live experience that they can keep going to the theatre misses the point entirely. And commercial producers get that point which is why we don't have commercial streaming. |
