Tech giant Amazon (AMZN) has decided to keep its blockbuster movie Project Hail Mary in theaters longer instead of quickly moving it to streaming. As a result, Amazon is moving away from the recent trend of releasing movies online shortly after their theater debut. This decision follows the film’s strong box office success. More precisely, Project Hail Mary has already earned over $500 million in just one month, making it the highest-grossing movie of 2026 so far.
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New trading tool for AMZN bullsIn comparison, it has outperformed well-known films like Gravity, The Martian, and Interstellar. On top of that, the movie will also be shown in IMAX (IMAX) theaters for a limited time for a more immersive experience. Looking at the bigger picture, this move could point to a change in how studios release movies.
In recent years, many films have moved to streaming after about 30 days, but some companies are now pushing for longer theater runs, such as 45 days. For that reason, streaming platforms may have to wait longer before benefiting from popular films. Even so, they can still make money by offering rentals and purchases, sometimes charging up to $20 per movie.
Is Amazon a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on AMZN stock based on 42 Buys and three Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average AMZN price target of $284.77 per share implies 12.2% upside potential.
