We want to see both studios and theaters work in partnership to expand access to each and every local community. Last month, eight deaf individuals in Oregon filed a state class action lawsuit against four movie theater chains under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This lawsuit is targeted to theater owners. While doing research, the NAD is finding out that there is quite a lot more to the movie industry than most people realize. We are talking about regular films that are not captioned.
Distribution happens through a complex geographical zone bidding and contracting system.
Negotiations between studios and theaters are based on a combination of factors. Basically, studios control the decision about which theaters show their first-run movies. Studios and theaters need to generate revenues to cover their production and operating costs, respectively. The NAD believes they are dragging their feet. Because they haven't fully gotten their act together to accomplish captioning access, we're seeing the first of what could be many lawsuits.