These 11 movies will be available online early to help ease your coronavirus anxiety – TechHive
Movie lovers cooped up at home because of the growing coronavirus threat are getting an unexpected but welcome treat from Hollywood studios: early video-on-demand (VOD) releases of some recent blockbusters, including even a few films still in theaters (the few that are still open, that is).
Following the unprecedented closure of movie theaters around the globe to help curb the spread of COVID-19, movie studios have been frantically shuffling their schedules, postponing some of their biggest releases (such as No Time to Die, A Quiet Place 2, and F9) for months or even until next year.
But Hollywood isn’t only throwing out the rule book as far as their upcoming releases go; they’re also shattering the traditional three-month U.S. theatrical window when it comes to more recent and even current movie releases.
That means instead of waiting until (most likely) May to rent the hit horror movie The Invisible Man on iTunes or Amazon Prime Video, Universal plans to release it as an online rental as early as this week.
Read on for a list of big Hollywood movies that are coming early to VOD in the U.S., with more sure to follow:
Onward
U.S. theatrical release date: March 6
VOD release date: March 20 at 5 p.m. PT (iTunes, AmazonRemove non-product link, Vudu)
Price: $20 to buy
Starring the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer, Onward received solid reviews from critics, which is to say it missed out on the raves that have greeted past Pixar classics. Still, this animated tale of a pair of elves who set off on a journey to resurrect their father should keep your housebound kids entertained, and following its VOD bow on Friday night, it’ll head to Disney+ on April 3.
The Way Back
U.S. theatrical release date: March 6
VOD release date: March 24 (iTunes, AmazonRemove non-product link, Vudu)
Price: $20 to buy
A drama about an alcoholic construction worker and former high school basketball star who seeks redemption by coaching the same team he used to play for, this Ben Affleck vehicle received middling reviews and box office returns, but critics singled out Affleck’s searing performance. Look for it to arrive online this coming Tuesday, March 24, just weeks after its initial U.S. theatrical release.
I Still Believe
U.S. theatrical release date: March 13
VOD release date: March 27
Price: No details yet
This faith-based docudrama centers on Christian singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp and his wife, Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp, who learns prior to their marriage that she’s suffering from ovarian cancer. While the movie didn’t get a fair shake in theaters due to the growing coronavirus threat, it’ll have a better chance to find its audience once it arrives online later this month.
Bloodshot
U.S. theatrical release: March 13
VOD release date: March 24
Price: $20 to buy (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)
Vin Diesel’s PG-13-rated superhero movie may have bombed during its box office debut barely a week ago, but it’s hard to tell whether audiences stayed away because they weren’t interested or because crowding into a movie theater didn’t seem like a good idea anymore. In any case, this Matrix/Robocop rehash sounds like a welcome diversion for fans of pulpy, down-and-dirty sci-fi, and it will be available for purchase online starting Tuesday, March 24, merely a week after its theatrical bow.
Birds of Prey
U.S. theatrical release date: February 7
VOD release date: March 24
Price: $20 to buy (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)
This R-rated superhero (or supervillain) saga with Margot Robbie headlining as Harley Quinn failed to make a big dent in the box office, but it’s still surprising that Warner Bros. decided to release it to VOD next week, a couple months ahead of schedule.
Emma
U.S. theatrical release date: February 21, 2020
VOD release date: March 20
Price: $20 to rent (iTunes, AmazonRemove non-product link, Vudu)
A buzzy and prestigious adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel, Emma was still doing steady business in theaters when the first movie-screen closures hit, and now Universal is doing what would normally have been unthinkable: releasing the film to VOD this Friday as a $20 rental.
Frozen II
U.S. theatrical release: November 22, 2019
VOD release date: Available now on Disney+
Price: Included in the price of a Disney+ subscription
As I type this very article, my seven-year-old daughter is about three feet away, asking me a question approximately every 30 seconds. Thank goodness for Disney, which decided to release the sequel to “Frozen” as a Disney+ exclusive a full three months ahead of schedule. Talk about the perfect carrot for convincing your tykes to finish their remote-learning math assignments.
The Hunt
U.S. theatrical release date: March 13, 2020
VOD release date: March 20
Price: $20 to rent (iTunes, AmazonRemove non-product link, Vudu)
Originally slated for theatrical release last fall, but pulled from the schedule amid controversy over its violent subject matter, The Hunt finally made its theatrical debut less than a week ago. That what makes The Hunt’s expected VOD release—this Friday, only a week after it landed in theaters—such a head-turner.
UniversalThe Invisible Man is one of a series of recent hit movies getting an early VOD release.
The Invisible Man
U.S. theatrical release date: February 28, 2020
VOD release date: March 20
Price: $20 to rent (iTunes, AmazonRemove non-product link, Vudu)
Another buzzy hit from Universal, this Elizabeth Moss-starring horror film was already a hit when theaters around the globe began to shutter. Normally, it would enjoy a long run on the big screen before going VOD in the summer. Instead, The Invisible Man will be available to rent online for $20, way ahead of schedule.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
U.S. theatrical release date: December 20, 2019
VOD release date: March 13, 2020
Price: $20 to buy (iTunes, AmazonRemove non-product link, Vudu)
The final (and to many, underwhelming) chapter of the Skywalker saga didn’t exactly go into hyperspace in terms of jumping its typical theatrical release window, but The Rise of Skywalker did manage to land on the big VOD platforms a few days early. Take it, we will.
Trolls World Tour
U.S. theatrical date: Originally scheduled for April 10
VOD release date: April 10
Price: Not confirmed yet
Trolls made a big splash when it made its way to theaters back in 2016 (clearly a lot of kids loved it, but my seven-year-old movie critic gives it an “eh”), so expectations were high when its sequel, Trolls World Tour, was scheduled for an April 10, 2020 theatrical release date. Well, that’s not going to happen, but Universal has a new plan: a so-called “day-and-date” VOD release for the big-budget kids flick.
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