ARTEMIS FOWL was set to debut in theaters over Memorial Day weekend but the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the entertainment industry and caused various film delays and release date shuffles. With movie theaters shuttered worldwide, films had to vacate to later dates to ensure that they would have some kind of theatrical experience when the theaters open their doors again. In the case of ARTEMIS FOWL, Disney opted to take the film out of the theatrical race and send the film straight to their streaming platform, Disney+. We didn't learn of a new release date when this change took place a few weeks ago but now Disney has unveiled a new TV spot with the announcement that their latest adventure will hit streaming this summer.
ARTEMIS FOWL will stream exclusively on Disney+ beginning Friday, June 12. Based on the best-selling young adult book by Eoin Colfer and helmed by Kenneth Branagh, the film follows the journey of a 12-year-old genius. Artemis Fowl (Ferdia Shaw), who is a descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds. Fowl desperately tries to save his father who has been kidnapped and in order to pay his ransom, he must infiltrate an ancient, underground civilization of an amazingly advanced world of fairies and bring the kidnapper the Aculos, the fairies' most power and coveted magical device. The latest Disney adventure also stars Lara Scarborough, Colin Farrell, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Tamara Smart, Nonso Anozie, Josh McGuire, Nikesh Patel & Adrian Scarborough.
The new TV spot pretty much shows what we've seen of the film so far and it looks like it will be a fun diversion for the whole family. I honestly think the shift to Disney+ is going to be more beneficial for ARTEMIS FOWL because I had this feeling that huge box office success was going to be a bit tough to come by considering this film has been hit with a delay even before the coronavirus pandemic. The film was originally going to be released on August 9, 2019, but, since The Weinstein Company was one of the original producers on the project, Disney removed Harvey Weinstein as the producer of the film and terminated its production partnership with The Weinstein Company following the sexual misconduct scandal involving Weinstein. These behind the scenes changes pushed the release to May 29, 2020, before it was moved to its new streaming date on June 12, 2020. I think FOWL will find the proper audience it is seeking on the service rather than risking a theatrical run.
Do YOU think it was best for ARTEMIS FOWL to move to streaming? ARTEMIS FOWL hits streaming on Disney+ on June 12, 2020.