A Bunch Of German Movie Theaters Are Boycotting ‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’

Avengers: Age Of Ultron is set to premiere in US theaters this Friday. However, the highly anticipated sequel has already debuted in multiple international markets. That may be great news for fans living in Europe, unless you’re in Germany.

German website Deutsche Welle has reported that movie theaters in 193 small towns across the country are boycotting the film. That is a total of 686 screens Avengers: Age Of Ultron will not appear on. The reason for this decision has nothing to do with the movie’s content and everything to do with money.

The reason is that Disney has raised its rental fee from 47.7 to 53 percent of ticket sales, which cinema owners said came as a complete surprise to them. In addition, a few new rules have been implemented: The money Disney had previously contributed to advertising has been cut, and advances for 3-D glasses have also been eliminated.

“Approaching the industry with these conditions is fully unusual and, for me, a scandal,” said Andreas Kramer from the Hauptverband Deutscher Filmtheater, an industry lobby group.

Considering the popularity of Marvel movies, Age Of Ultron will surely make a ton of money once it’s released in theaters domestically this Friday. However, Disney’s decision is guaranteed to lose them millions of box office dollars they could have made at roughly 700 German theaters.

With Ant-Man on the horizon and Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming at the end of the year, Disney might be in the position to lose a lot more German money if they don’t address any of these issues. Then again, the loss they feel from these small town theaters might probably be just a drop in the proverbial bucket.

(Source: Deutsche Welle)

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