Apple Amps Up Feature Film Ambitions Following Success of 'Greyhound' [Report]

Apple is amping up its feature film ambitions following the success of Tom Hanks' Greyhound on Apple TV+, reports Fast Company.

Greyhound is said to have brought in an audience equal to a summer theatrical box office hit with thirty percent of viewers being new to the service.

Going forward, one source says the streamer is discussing plans to release a dozen new movies a year on Apple TV Plus, roughly one a month. Two to four of those would be blockbuster-type titles such as Greyhound and Emancipation, the runaway-slave thriller starring Will Smith and directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) that Apple recently acquired for $120 million in a bidding war with Warner Bros., Universal, and other studios. Another source had fewer specifics but confirmed that Apple is telling Hollywood that it’s now in the market for more tentpole-like feature films. (Apple did not respond to a request for comment.)

Apple will purportedly round its slate of movies with festival acquisitions and mid-range titles. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company has the opportunity to acquire films which would otherwise have premiered in theaters. Fast Company notes that legacy studios without a streaming service, such as Paramount, Sony, MGM, and Lionsgate, can offload films to Apple for a guaranteed payday with virtually no immediate downside.

One source said, “If this works, no doubt they’ll go bigger.” More details in the full report linked below!

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