With cameras ready to roll on the long-awaited sequel in the “Bill & Ted” franchise, no one knew a global pandemic would force Orion pictures to “Face the Music” in more ways than one. In addition, no one could predict that “Bill and Ted Face the Music” would become a playbook for the future of not just Premium Video on Demand (PVOD), but launches across the board, from PVOD to theatrical.

Between the pandemic and an influx of major new services, the number of U.S. subscription accounts has boomed, up 30 percent annually over the past two years, but niche subscription video services have done even better, more than doubling that estimable track record, according to a research note from analytics consultancy Antenna Inc..

A Q&A with Brent Weinstein is Chief Innovation Officer for UTA, one of Hollywood's biggest talent agencies, about how the entertainment industry is being reshaped amid COVID-19.