Cinderella will spread some of its fairytale magic at Amazon. It has been announced that the latest take on Cinderella, starring pop singer Camila Cabello, will skip a theatrical release and will instead head to Amazon Prime later this year. The film was originally set up at Sony Pictures to be released this July after several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sony Pictures didn't give an official as to why they struck the deal with Amazon Studios to send the film to streaming but many are citing that it has to do with the uncertain nature of the pandemic and theatrical windows. Although things seem headed in a very positive direction for moviegoing in the States with COVID cases mostly down and the vaccines seemingly do their jobs, Sony also had concerns about the theatrical presence for the film in Europe and Latin America. Things aren't 100% back to normal there and the studio feels the film could've done well in those markets if moviegoing in those areas was stronger. The deal is similar in construct to previous ones the studio has made with streamers on films that include Fatherhood and Vivo. Sony will also still handle the theatrical distribution in China.
Directed by Kay Cannon, Cinderella will be a musical-inspired take on the classic story and it will incorporate pop songs from contemporary artists and original songs by Cabello, who was heavily involved in the creation of the music. The film, which will be her acting debut, focuses on an ambitious young woman (Cinderella, Cabello) whose dreams are bigger than the world will allow. With the help of her Fab G (Billy Porter), she musters the courage to make her dreams come true. The film also stars Idina Menzel, Nick Galitzine, Minnie Driver and Pierce Brosnan.
What are YOUR thoughts on Cinderella skipping a theatrical release for a debut on Amazon Prime?