Sony Considering Bold Plans to Release Four Beatles Films (Exclusive)

All four films would open on the same day, hiding individual box office figures, and a four-pack ticket for Sam Mendes' ambitious biopic is on the table in an effort to treat each film equally and maximize ticket sales.

Sony Pictures and filmmaker Sam Mendes are exploring innovative ideas for the release of their four Beatles biopics — including the films' box office haul.

The first glimpse of their strategy came over the weekend when Mendes' producing partner, Pippa Harris, pulled back the curtain. "We want people to be able to experience them in the cinema at the same time," he told the BFI London Film Festival's keynote industry forum. Now that doesn't necessarily mean that we think people are going to go and see all four movies in one day. "But in the same month, you might see one a week, or you might see one movie on the weekend and see another."

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Harris' comments have been interpreted in a few different ways - such as films possibly being released on different weeks during the month. But sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the director and the studio have long considered dropping all four films on the same day.

In addition, Mendes and the studio have been considering a very unique reporting structure for the films' box office earnings. Instead of releasing the statistics of each film separately, the studio has thought of collecting the returns of all four films together.

It actually prevents the expected horse-racing drama of John Lennon's $12 Millions more popular than a George Harrison movie, or something. "Who's your favorite Beatle?" It's been a topic of conversation and debate that has followed the group since it first formed, and there's an understandable reluctance for Beatles films to put exact popularity ratings and dollar figures on the question — especially since the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, are actively involved in the films. The legendary musicians have provided feedback on the script and met with the respective actors playing their roles (Paul Mescall, Harris Dickinson, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan as Paul, John, George and Ringo respectively).

Another idea being considered is offering a four-pack of tickets to encourage fans to buy tickets for all the movies at once, rather than choosing one or two movies to watch in theaters and saving the rest for broadcasts. However, it's unclear how this one would work in practice, as it would likely involve forcing major cinema chains to implement an unusual ticketing structure.

Assuming all four films are indeed released in the same week, sources also say the plan is to market the films as out of order — that there will be no "correct" order in which to watch the films.

Each of these four brilliant ideas points to Mendes and the studio looking for creative solutions to the broader challenge of getting audiences to watch not just a film about the Beatles, but a quartet, all of them.

Sources stress that these plans remain fluid amid ongoing discussions and may change.

The Beatles films are released in April 2028, which Sony will no doubt hope is a fairly competitive point in the calendar to ensure there is enough room in each market for John, Paul, George and Ringo to each get enough screens.

Sony Pictures had no comment on the plans.

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