New data shows fewer movies are being released, signaling a major threat to theaters

• Twenty-eight movies have debuted in wide release this year, according to Comscore.
• That's a 33% drop from this point in 2019.

As movie theaters in the US look to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, a major fear for the theatrical industry is coming to fruition: fewer movies are being released than before the pandemic.

Twenty-eight movies have debuted in wide release (2,000 or more theaters) so far this year, according to the data firm Comscore. That's compared to 42 movies at the same point in 2019, a 33% drop.

It's an improvement over last year, when movie releases were scarce due to pandemic-related delays and theater closures. Only 10 movies had premiered in wide release at this point last year, according to Comscore.

The US box office is up 355% compared to 2021, but still down 41% compared to 2019.

Granted, by this point in 2019, hits like "Captain Marvel" and "Avengers: Endgame" had debuted. Still, this year has seen successes including "The Batman" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."

Paul Dergarabedian, the Comscore senior media analyst, said that the box office will struggle to get back to pre-pandemic levels without a fuller theatrical release calendar.

"Movie product is key to the success of any given year," he said.

Why are studios releasing fewer movies in theaters?

There are a couple key reasons for the lack of movie releases compared to past years. The coronavirus pandemic disrupted productions and caused delays. And the major studios are making more movies directly for streaming services.

The "Predator" prequel "Prey," from Disney's 20th Century Studios, will debut on Hulu this year; Sony, which does not have its own streaming service, has a first-look deal with Netflix for any movies it plans to make for streaming; Warner Bros.' "Batgirl" movie is set for an HBO Max release; and so on.

Dergarabedian is optimistic about the rest of 2022, though, saying that "momentum builds momentum." After "Top Gun: Maverick" debuts this weekend, a slew of high-profile releases will follow, including "Jurassic World: Dominion" and "Thor: Love and Thunder."

Still, there are just 63 more wide releases set for the rest of the year, according to Comscore. That would bring the total to 91 for the full year (which is subject to change).

John Fithian, the CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, had told Insider during a December interview that the major Hollywood studios alone typically released a combined 120 movies in a given year.

Fithian had noted that a "shrinking slate of theatrical releases" was one of the theater industry's biggest fears heading into 2022.

To help remedy that, theater owners are trying to court Netflix and convince the streaming giant to expand its theatrical output. Notably, they want Netflix to commit to a longer theatrical window of 30 to 45 days for the movies it puts in theaters, and invest meaningfully on marketing those movies, according to a person close to the theatrical industry.

Theater owners could be getting their wish. Bloomberg recently reported that Netflix is considering a 45-day window for certain titles, including its "Knives Out" sequel. In the past, Netflix has typically given movies just a two-week window before making the movies available to stream. Netflix declined to comment on the Bloomberg report when requested by Insider.