It took a pandemic for entertainment executives to consider what they once thought unimaginable: abandoning the decades-old convention of relying on movie theaters as the first place to show a movie. With theaters possibly closed until next year, executives are contemplating new ways to release movies, including embracing previously rejected digital services. 

Some Hollywood veterans say the industry needs to think more imaginatively to get consumers to embrace electronic rentals, which have not so far proved popular. They suggest options such as creating virtual social events around a movie’s rental release, such as through apps like Netflix Party, and charging different amounts of money for rentals depending on expected demand. Below we look at some of the different possibilities industry veterans have suggested.