in 862 theaters, with both grossing more than $9 million in the opening weekend, showing to distributors the success that could be achieved with such a release strategy. In December 1980, Any Which Way You Can beat the record set by Breakout, opening in a record 1,541 theaters.

The growth in the number and size of multiplexes since the 1980s, increasing the availability of screens with more flexible scheduling, facilitated this strategy