- Apple TV has released a new intro following its “vibrant” rebrand
- The new opening has three versions, including a cinematic one for films
- This could be another sign that Apple is set to double down on theatrical releases
Apple’s dazzling new logo for the freshly rebranded Apple TV (RIP Apple TV+) is already showing up in front of all of its shows and films, and I think that’s a sign we could be about to see a revival of its theatrical release strategy.
Hear me out – before the rebrand was unveiled this week (see the video below), there had been rumors floating around that Apple was reportedly weighing up starting its own theatrical distribution unit. According to the WSJ, sources revealed that Apple executives were discussing the idea of expanding into the area in June.
While there’s been no other news about this since, there have been other signs suggesting theatrical releases might be a bigger focus for Apple TV. Take Sean Gamble, the CEO of Cinemark, who commented about being “optimistic” that more Apple Originals would be released in cinemas to The Hollywood Reporter, for example.
Now that might not be too surprising, coming from the head of one of the biggest theater chains in the US. Still, I will point out that this was said before the movie F1 was released, which ended up being a big box office success after grossing close to $630 million (on a budget of $200–300 million).
That’s notable because Apple did not handle the theatrical distribution of F1, according to the same WSJ source, instead tapping up Warner Bros. Discovery to distribute the film in cinemas for a percentage of the box office revenue to save on overhead costs.
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By investing in its own distribution business, Apple would be in a better position to make more money from its theatrical hits. Incorporating more theatrical releases is a strategy that the tech company had been set on a couple of years ago, when Bloomberg reported that it was planning to spend $1 billion a year on films to break into cinemas.
While those plans have since been scrapped after a string of Apple TV Original Films disappointed at the box office, which led it to shift its release plans for the movieWolfs, it could be that the tide might finally be turning. After all, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that theatrical runs can boost the success of a film before it arrives on one of the best streaming services.
From limited theatrical runs to simultaneous streaming releases, many streamers are increasingly experimenting with the strategy. Even Netflix, which has made its theatrical adverse opinions clear, has been changing its tune, following the premiere of several films throughout this year alone, from the sing-along version of KPop Demon Hunters to Frankenstein
This all brings me to the latest sign we have that Apple TV is focusing more on theatrical releases – its new, much more dynamic opening. To me, this signals that Apple wants to invest more in movies, because it’s the little details that count, and a movie studio’s intro is one of the most important aspects of soft marketing for a production company.
The opening logo, whether you tend to pay much attention to them or not, holds a lot of weight as it becomes synonymous with the movies that a studio makes. Think about Leo the lion (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s (MGM) mascot) or Universal Pictures’ spinning globe – these images stick with you for a reason and are a precursor to every film you watch from a studio, setting the tone of what you’re about to see.
In a time when theatrical experiences aren’t as sought after as they once were, I think it would be a positive move for Apple to want to invest in bringing more people together at movie theaters – to be clear, I know this would only form part of the reasoning (ticket sales and marketing will be the big sells for any reason why), but stick with me.
Apple has proven that it cares about the craft of physical productions; you can see that from the fact that its design agency, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, made its new logo by building a real glass structure of the Apple logo that they filmed for the new Apple TV intro (you can see how they did this in the video below).
Not only that, but the agency tapped Finneas, aka Finneas O’Connell, to create the music, making the rebrand a massive undertaking that would have taken a large chunk out of Apple’s cash flow. That’ll all be worth it when we see the new 12-second cinematic version play in cinemas, but we’ll need an Apple Original Film to go to the theaters for that to happen…
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