More TV Shows Should Get Theatrical Releases

Streaming services have completely transformed the entertainment industry, and there is no turning back. In the past, the process was one and the same: people had to drive to the nearest cinema to catch a new feature film or just wait for the VHS/DVD release. At home, they turned their television sets on and waited for a made-for-TV flick or show to air at the time specified in the guide, hoping it wouldn’t be interrupted by too many annoying commercials.

All that has changed now, thanks to Prime Video, Netflix, Paramount+, Hulu, and other streaming services that produce and acquire movies, series, and documentaries and distribute them in every corner of the world in exchange for a monthly fee.

And due to that, fewer movies are getting theatrical releases, especially following the infamous period of COVID-19-related lockdowns, not to mention the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, which halted many projects. As for series and miniseries, they are still being exclusively produced for streaming or network viewing, with the occasional theatrical screening.

Binging exciting shows from the comfort of home certainly is a cozy and relaxing experience, but all things considered, it limits in-person socialization and deprives audiences of building a local community of enthusiastic fans. Here are the reasons why more series, or at least some of their special episodes, would do well to get the occasional big-screen treatment, gathering their faithful fans under the same roof for an enhanced audiovisual experience and possibly inspiring more into the fold.

Famous TV Episodes Released in Theaters

It certainly isn’t a novel idea to play TV shows in theaters following or preceding their home broadcast, stitched and edited as full-length features. These cinematic releases not only elate fans and attract new viewers, but also help balance out high production costs. Case in point: Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, a 1955 Western adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions and compiled from three episodes of the hit series Davy Crockett; a screening that garnered $2,150,000 at the box office.

Another memorable example is the 1978 science-fiction film Battlestar Galactica, a re-edit of the pilot episode, “Saga of a Star World.” It played in Canadian cinemas before the show even aired in the United States, in order to recuperate some of its whopping eight-million-dollar cost. The standalone film made it to American theaters later on, taking advantage of Universal’s Sensurround process, and grossing $41.8 million internationally.

Fast-forward to 2012, when CBS Home Entertainment and NCM Fathom Events organized hundreds of theatrical releases to incentivize audiences to get their copies of the beloved space opera Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray.

“Resistance is futile, so buy your tickets today!” – From the press release

Dressed as their favorite characters, Trekkies in the United States, Canada, and Australia flocked to watch the remastered episodes The Best of Both Worlds and The Best of Both Worlds II, as well as their documentary bonus features, on the big screen, grateful for the better picture and sound quality.

In-Person Interaction and Dressing Up Help Build a Tight-Knit Community

Watching special episodes of a highly rated show on the big screen is not only an exciting, large-format audiovisual experience, but also an opportunity for viewers to get out of their comfort zone, engage in live discussions with passionate, like-minded devotees, cosplay a character, and even meet the show’s principals and stars.

Making it a regular occurrence will surely help build a local network of aspiring writers, directors, and actors in any given area, a community wherein viewers can exchange insightful theories, and exchange suggestions and phone numbers.

Circling back to the Star Trek franchise, audiences were able to catch the last two episodes of Picard a day earlier than Paramount+’s subscribers at Imax theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, Orlando, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Dallas, and Atlanta.

Those in attendance in Los Angeles were given the opportunity to ask their burning questions to executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Terry Matalas, but also long-time Star Trek actors Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, and Jeri Ryan.

Additionally, the Q&A panel was broadcast live, serving as an Emmy Awards “For Your Consideration.” Picard also won an Emmy for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for the episode “Absolute Candor” in 2020, while Stewart was recognized as Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series at the Critics’ Choice Super Awards in 2021.

Related: How Each Season of Star Trek: Picard Fared Among Diehard Fans

Another good example of a TV show that benefited from a theatrical release is HBO’s fantasy drama Game of Thrones. Barring the controversial eighth and final season, most episodes were a real emotional roller-coaster that gathered millions of fans worldwide and instigated heated discussions between netizens.

It is not surprising that when the last two episodes of season four “The Watchers on the Wall” and “The Children” were released in IMAX with a five-minute teaser of season five, the crowd went wild. Per Deadline, this special screening “made $1.5M from 205 playdates for a per-theater of $7,323… Within a week, the IMAX tech team found that the HBO show did in fact look cinematic; the visuals were more high-def and the sound crisper.”

And on April 15, 2019, more than 900 people attended the premiere screening of the show’s finale at Capitol Theater, where guests painted their faces with their favorite House sigils, snapped photos on the Iron Throne, and had drinks made with White Walker by Johnnie Walker, a limited-edition GoT blend.

Per The Straits Times, a husband-and-wife duo made heads turn, dressed as Jaime and Cersei Lannister, while one UX consultant came as Daenerys Targaryen, having spent the day crafting the cape and fashioning dragons out of aluminum foil. Dedicated fans certainly do not mind shelling out and cosplaying to attend these special screenings, while the show and its sponsors will also benefit from the generated buzz.

Shows That Need the Big-Screen Treatment

TV series are now spending as much as big-budget blockbuster movie productions, and some of the most expensive shows ever made include The Crown, Wandavision, The Sandman, Stranger Things, House of the Dragon, The Mandalorian, and Rings of Power. So why not bring them to select theaters?

Based on these jaw-dropping numbers, these shows shelled out more than many feature films and would generate superior viewing pleasure as a cinematic experience.

Related: 20 TV Shows That Deserve a Movie Adaptation

Not to mention that theaters could use the increased traffic. Theaters have been struggling to fill seats, especially since the pandemic. But if shows were aired on a semi-regular basis in more local theaters instead of just the larger cities, dedicated fans would turn up to watch and enjoy the camraderie with other fans. Some fanbases may even be larger than that of many movies, which means a guaranteed audience that would show up.

And, fans could use closure for beloved canceled and underrated series, such as the horror comedy Santa Clarita Diet, and have been diligently petitioning for a Friends movie or reboot for decades. The sitcom is one of the most quoted shows of all time, and a theatrical edit of some of the best episodes featuring the late Matthew Perry, for example, with a Q&A panel, would certainly not be frowned upon.