Is this a sign of things to come?
We’re living in strange times at the moment. Businesses all over the world are having to adapt to stay alive and the movie industry is no different.
With cinemas closed for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus, Universal Pictures has announced that it will be making its movies available on home entertainment on the same day as its theatrical release.
The first movie they’re going to do it for is Dreamworks’ ‘Trolls World Tour’ which is scheduled to come out in the US on April 10th. Unfortunately this means we won’t hear the banging soundtrack coming out of the big screen.
The company has also said it will make the movies that are currently in cinemas available on-demand from March 20th. They include horrors ‘The Hunt’ and ‘The Invisible Man’, as well as ‘Emma’ a Jane Austen adaptation.
The movies will be available to rent for 48 hours and cost $19.99, with similar prices expected in international markets.
“Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable,” Universal CEO Jeff Shell said.
“We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible.”
Via: Variety