Trolls World Tour rolled out April 10 on video-on-demand instead of in theaters. The sequel to the 2016 computer-animated hit Trolls was the first major film to attempt an at-home premiere rather than push back its release date in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. According to several important metrics, it was the right move for Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation, because Trolls World Tour was the most successful digital debut of all time, according to Universal Studios. However, a closer look at all that data reveals that not every customer was completely satisfied with the direct-to-VOD experience.

As movie theaters remain closed for an indefinite amount of time, and potential customers sit at home, wanting for entertainment, studios are forced to consider which of their projects should hold firm to theatrical releases and which are well-suited to early streaming. So far, the latter category has included low budget and horror titles as well as properties that (to be blunt) studios suspected might have underperformed. Trolls World Tour likely would've been a hit had it gotten a theatrical release. Perhaps because Trolls' audience skews young, it seemed like it was a particularly good candidate for VOD buy-in, and the strong numbers indicate that was the case. But the very same demographic advantages that earned it record rentals also earned it plenty of complaints.

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New release VOD differs from VOD that's timed to closely coincide with DVD and Blu Ray hitting the market, typically around 3-5 months after a film's theatrical run. At that time, customers can purchase the digital rights to a movie for around $19.99, or rent it for between three and six dollars. New release VOD seems to have settled upon that same price of $19.99 for what's usually a 24-48 hour rental, at least until something bigger than a Trolls movie premieres on streaming platforms, and a studio tests the limits of what home audiences will pay. For now, though, whether or not audiences see that price as a good, fair, or poor value depends upon a complicated set of factors.

For larger households, VOD is almost always a good deal...in theory. A family of three or more can save a significant amount on tickets alone, and that's without the added cost of soda, candy and popcorn. Individual customers have a harder decision to make, one that depends upon their own financial situation weighed against how badly they want to see the movie. Anecdotally, plenty of single adult cinephiles have been grateful to have access to new movies like Emma or Never Rarely Sometimes Always. These movies are bringing in modest returns, but for the most part, they seem to have met their customers' expectations.

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Trolls World Tour, on the other hand, made at least $46 million in its first three days, in the United States alone. This suggests that prior to purchasing a digital ticket, families were open to the idea of a VOD world premiere. However, after they clicked play, some negative reviews -- not of the movie itself, but of the rental process -- started pouring in. Some seemed to misunderstand that for their $20, they were renting and not buying the movie. Universal, and the various streaming services that offered Trolls World Tour, explained this in no uncertain terms. But for frantic parents who have grown accustomed to owning movies for $19.99, the misunderstanding has some standing.

The more common complaint was that, for the higher price, the rental period was too short. Kids old enough to visit theaters can be convinced to behave and attend with the help of the dark room, a big screen and social expectations. Those same rules don't apply to the domestic chaos of daily life. Many parents lamented that the rental expired before they could get their little ones to watch the whole thing, or that kids who are used to repeat access of Netflix and Disney+ didn't understand why they couldn't watch the movie over and over again. This group made suggestions, in reviews posted on platforms like Amazon and Vudu, that rental windows should be extended or that customers could be given the option to purchase the title later at a discount.

Whether new release VOD remains a viable option for studios will probably depend upon that last piece of a film's potential revenue: disc and digital sales. Even happy customers who knew exactly what they were signing up for have expressed hesitation about paying twenty bucks again to own the same movie in the future. Though many people essentially did the same thing before (bought tickets, then bought the disc or digital rights), there's a psychological hurdle to double paying a decent sum for the same product delivered in the same way. Studios will have to wait and see if the VOD model actually has an impact on sales down the line, but it's yet another challenge the film industry faces in a rapidly changing landscape.

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