Of all the video streamers, Amazon MGM Studios seems to be emerging in the form of a traditional major studio, particularly evidenced by a robust slate of original films. Pictured are stars taking a group selfie photo at an Amazon presentation (Ben Affleck at center, Vivica A. Fox holding selfie pole at center, and Ryan Gosling at upper right).
Amazon MGM made a statement that original movies are a pillar of its global video streaming service globally, and its better originals will get substantial cinema runs.
Sci-fi yarn “Project Hail Mary” looks to be a tentpole, meaning a big-budget mainstream film, with Ryan Gosling (“Barbie”) starring as a reluctant astronaut launched into outer space to save mankind. “Hail Mary” will hit cinemas March 20 next year, and then later play on the Amazon Prime streaming service.
That was one of a dozen original one-shot films presented to movie theater operators at trade-group United Cinemas’ annual convention in Las Vegas earlier this month. Amazon MGM begins cranking out cinema films regularly in 2026, though its release sked is soft for the balance of this year.
Upcoming original movies include “The Accountant 2” starring Ben Affleck, a live-action “Masters of the Universe” and an adaptation of bestseller “Verity” starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson. And don’t forget Amazon MGM Studios will continue the James Bond/Agent 007 spy thriller franchise acquired with MGM with new films.
“We are committed to doing this for the long terms and when Amazon commits to something, we tend to do it big,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon MGM Studios and Amazon Prime. “Tonight, our job is to convince you that commitment [to theatrical] is real … and to prove to all of you how bullish we are on theatrical – both here in the U.S. and overseas.” Hopkins worked previously at Sony Pictures Television, Fox Networks and video streamer Hulu.
At the helm of the films section for Amazon MGM are head of marketing Sue Kroll and Courtenay Valenti, who is head of film, streaming and theatrical (see photo below).
Amazon, the online shopping juggernaut with annual revenue of $638 billion, bought the MGM studio in 2022, getting its library of James Bond spy, Rocky boxing and Pink Panther movies. MGM fell from the ranks of majors decades ago after financial setbacks reduced its film output, forcing an exit from distribtion to cinemas.
Amazon MGM forecasts it will release 14 original movies to cinemas next year, and volume of at least a dozen significant theatricals annually is yet another characteristic of a major studio. That contribution to film supply is crucial to keeping cinemas viable, particularly since Walt Disney Studios swallowed up 20th Century Fox a few years ago, reducing the number of major studios.
Amazon MGM clearly has cinema on its mind. It elevated its offbeat Christmas movie “Red One” to a theatrical release in November 2024, grossing a decent $97 million in domestic cinemas. The comedy starring Dwayne Johnson was originally conceived as direct-to-Prime Video, where it eventually played later.
Now Amazon MGM re-entered that theatrical distribution business with a 20-person domestic theatrical distribution arm. With the MGM studio acquisition, the parent inherited a TV and video distribution operation, which is yet another characteristic of a major (there are five majors today: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.; 20th Century Fox Pictures was sold to Disney in 2019).
Dominating the video streaming sector is Netflix, which is at best lukewarm toward cinema exhibition. Some of its big original films get truncated theatrical runs in deference to Hollywood talent involved; Netflix does not license its originals to third parties (again, such distribution is central to the major studio business model). Meanwhile, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+ are streamers embracing cinemas. The other big streamers are siblings of Hollywood major studios.
Amazon MGM allows its boxoffice numbers to be reported publicly, as do all the major studios; but some video streamers don’t allow cinema revenue for their theatrical releases to be made available outside the industry.
Amazon MGM further burnished its aura of an emerging major studio by being the first streamer to mount a lavish, full-scale presentation at the United Cinemas’ trade show CinemaCon earlier this month (United Cinemas was previously called the National Association of Theatre Owners). Amazon MGM trotted out stars Ben Affleck, Ryan Gosling, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt on stage. The presentation showed its slate of upcoming original films getting theatrical runs.
Gosling drew applause from the audience of cinema operators, who remain under pressure from video streaming, by talking up the epic grandeur of his splashy “Project Hail Mary.” While nodding “no” with his head, Gosling said, “We tried to put on a TV once and, honestly, it didn’t fit.”
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