In unprecedented move, Universal is rolling out day-one patch for the movie Cats

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a major motion picture is getting a patch to fix some problems. 

The movie Cats, which opened in theatres this past Friday, is receiving the equivalent of a day-one patch from Universal, the studio behind the movie. Tom Hooper, the director of the film, apparently ran up against a wall trying to finish the film in time for critics to preview the film the Monday before its worldwide release. After feeling the movie was released in an unfinished state, Hooper requested the update be sent out to theatres, a move that theatre operators say has never happened for a released film during its initial run. Theatres can either download the updated movie from Universal's servers via satellite or opt to receive a hard drive this week.

The update apparently fixes some of the more unsettling visual effects but adds nothing else to the existing movie. Critics have broadly panned the movie with many citing the poor quality CGI as primary points of contention. The film, which reportedly cost US $100 million to make (before marketing) garnered a paltry $2.6 million in its opening weekend. 

The film industry has changed drastically from its reel-to-reel roots over the past decade. Most (if not all) movies are distributed to theatres digitally rather than via analog media. As such, updates like this are plausible, though one has never been sent during a film’s current run. Maybe the CGI updates will help the film hang in there. After all, a movie about cats should have a few extra lives hanging around.