first-run

English

Alternative forms

• first run

Adjective

first-run (not comparable)

1. (of a film) made available for public screening for the first time
2. (of a movie theatre) screening first-run films
   • 2013 June 6, “How Movies Used to Be Released Part I -- Roadshow Releases & First Run Theaters”, in Richard Rothrock‎:

     How long a movie stayed in the First Run theaters depended entirely on how big a hit it was. [...] If a movie was not a hit, it most often left the first run theater after two weeks and disappeared seemingly forever.

3. (of a television or radio program) broadcast or streamed for the first time on any broadcast or streaming service (including films that are previously released theatrically)
   • 2019 January 15, Knight, Rosie, “‘You,’ a Dud for Lifetime, Has Become Netflix’s Latest Water-Cooler Hit”, in The Hollywood Reporter‎:

     [...] Netflix swooped in to take first-run rights to season two mere weeks before the streaming giant had any idea how the series would perform on its platform.

References

• “first-run”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “first-run”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.