ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Film release

Okay kiddo, have you ever been to the movie theater to watch a new movie? Good! So, before you went to the movie theater to watch that movie, there was a bunch of things that had to happen first.

First, the people who made the movie filmed it and made it into a finished product. Once the movie was done, it was time to release it.

To release a movie just means to let people see it. But how do they do that? Well, there are different ways to release a movie. One way is to show it in movie theaters (just like the one you went to!) and let people buy tickets to see it there. Another way is to release the movie on home video or streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney Plus.

Now, to decide when and where to release the movie, the people who made the movie and the movie studio that paid for it will do something called a release plan. They will decide on the best time of year to release the movie, which countries to release it in, and how many theaters to show it in.

They will then make deals with the movie theaters or streaming platforms to show the movie. Sometimes, they might even have a special premiere where famous people and critics get to see the movie for the first time!

Finally, after all of that planning, the movie is released to the public. People can buy tickets to see it in theaters or watch it at home. And that's how a movie is released!