Project Hail Mary was one of the highest-grossing films of the year and was the king at the box office until Obsession and Backrooms showed up. It also might have a hand in causing Hollywood to reconsider what kind of films it should be churning out and for how long at theaters, which is no small feat when the industry is still chasing trends that many already consider done to death, like superheroes.
The Ryan Gosling vehicle’s winning ways are not tapering off anytime soon either, even as its run transitions from theaters to streaming and paid video-on-demand. Amazon, today’s owner and parent company of MGM, the legacy studio banner Project Hail Mary was made under, recently dropped their blockbuster space epic on digital formats. However, it is not on Prime yet, so you have to pay a premium.
The film was sent to the add-on service MGM+ (originally Epix), which was its streaming home for a time—well into the summer—defiantly against expectations. It’s another subscription to add to your bank statement, which could impel even the most flexible Prime subscribers to wait. So why on Earth (or any planet) would Amazon choose to make Project Hail Mary an exclusive to a lesser asset?
Drawing more attention to MGM+ as an alternative (within their portfolio, no less) is one motivation. Obviously, they want to boost numbers for the service, and they had an undeniable ace up their sleeve (in a hit movie) to pull that off. However, there is another reason, and it’s contractual: How deals are made and what terms are set were the deciding factor.
"Movies that go from theatrical to Prime Video are greenlit differently, often have their budgets covered by Prime, and are monetized under a different model internally," Deadline explained. MGM operates with some remaining autonomy, and they greenlit Project Hail Mary on their end. This entitles them to certain privileges within the Amazon empire, such as getting to keep their movies for extended periods before sending them back.
Therefore, their much-talked-about blockbuster was given a theatrical window, received a stay on paid VOD, and gained a streaming release window exclusive to MGM+ that will net it more money. This distribution model is called the “Pay One” window, which makes Prime Video secondary in the equation.
Think of it this way: Project Hail Mary wasn’t an Amazon Prime movie that went to theaters; it was an MGM movie slowly creeping its way toward Prime, where it finally ended up on July 3.
Add us as a preferred source on Google