As movie theaters have closed amid calls for people to stay home and avoid crowds to slow the spread of the coronavirus, movies that were in theaters have come to home streaming services early, and more are on the way.
NBCUniversal has already made “The Hunt,” “The Invisible Man,” and “Emma” available on demand. Like those titles, the Pixar animated feature, “Onward,” has also made a faster-than-usual move from cinemas to on demand platforms.
“Emma” is director Autumn de Wilde’s well-received take on Jane Austen’s comedy. “The Hunt” is a thriller about a group of people who wake outdoors to find they’re being hunted. In “The Invisible Man,” Elisabeth Moss plays a woman who believes she’s being stalked by her abusive ex, who supposedly died by suicide. All are available to rent for $19.99, on demand. All are also available on Amazon Prime Video.
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The Pixar feature “Onward,” featuring the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a tale about elf brothers who set off on a quest, is also available to purchase for $19.99 on demand. The film, which was also recently in theaters, is scheduled to make an early debut on the Disney Plus streaming service, on April 3. “Onward” is also available to purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
Other new movies that have either been in theaters, or were scheduled to open in theaters, will soon be available for home streaming. Here’s a list of notable titles:
“Bloodshot”: Vin Diesel and Sam Heughan star in an action movie based on a comic book, which makes an early migration to on demand platforms on March 24.
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“The Way Back”: Ben Affleck plays a former high school basketball star who may be able to turn his life around when, years later, he accepts a coaching job at his former school. The movie will be available to buy on March 24, via on demand platforms.
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“I Still Believe”: KJ Apa and Britt Robertson star in a faith-based drama that is coming to on demand platforms on March 27.
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“Sonic the Hedgehog”: The movie inspired by the popular video game did well in theaters, and it’s making a speedy move to on demand platforms. It will be available to stream on March 31.
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“Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”: Margot Robbie stars in the movie based on DC Comics characters that, as USA Today reports, will be available March 24 to purchase for home streaming.
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“Trolls World Tour”: The animated sequel will be available on demand on the same day it opens in theaters, April 10.
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“The Lovebirds”: The Hollywood Reporter says that the comedy starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, which was originally scheduled for an April 3 release to theaters, will now stream on Netflix.
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More of our coverage:
- Feel-good TV: 10 shows to watch to help take your mind off coronavirus anxiety
- Disney Plus: 8 great shows to stream when coronavirus concerns keep you at home
— Kristi Turnquist
kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist
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The Lovebirds
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount’s The Lovebirds, starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, is heading to Netflix. It was originally supposed to debut in theaters on April 3, but Paramount pulled it due to COVID-19 shutdowns. We don’t yet know when it will drop on Netflix, but at least we won’t have to wait for movie theaters to reopen to watch it!
In addition, according to the report, the upcoming animated movie, “Trolls World Tour,” will be available on demand on the same day it opens in theaters, on April 10
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