Apple might follow roughly the same strategy as Amazon, which often releases prestige films like Manchester by the Sea for three month theater runs before streaming them. That allows those films to compete for prizes at festivals that require meaningful releases. Meanwhile, it may limit more mainstream films to two week theater runs before streaming.

One of Apple's first major theatrical releases will reportedly be Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks starring Rashida Jones and Bill Murray. That film might see a mid-2020 theatrical release and premiere at Cannes or another festival early in the year. Apple reportedly doesn't see such releases as moneymakers, but more as a way to build the Apple TV+ brand and build demand for the eventual streaming release.

Apple recently learned the importance of theatrical distribution when JJ Abrams spurned Apple in favor of WarnerMedia. Reportedly, a key incentive for Abrams was Warner's existing theatrical distribution power, something that Apple is lacking.

Netflix famously refused to attend Cannes for the last two years in a dispute over theatrical distribution. The streaming company will be giving the much-hyped Scorsese/De Nero film The Irishman a theatrical run starting with a big red carpet premiere at the New York Film Festival today. As usual, though, it will only stay at theaters for a few weeks before it debuts on Netflix.