Over the past few months, we've seen a variety of films opt to skip theaters altogether in favour of a PVOD or streaming debut, and Lionsgate announced today that Janelle Monáe's time-bending thriller ANTEBELLUM will be the next to make the leap. Written and directed by Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz, ANTEBELLUM stars Janelle Monáe as Veronica Henley, a successful writer who finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it's too late. The film was intended to hit theaters on August 21st, but was recently removed from the schedule, and Lionsgate has now revealed that it will debut on premium video-on-demand services on September 18th.
"While the theatrical experience will always be the heart of our business, we are thrilled that we are able to seize the opportunity to match Gerard and Chris’s urgent and immediate film with a release strategy befitting this moment of extraordinary change," said Lionsgate chairman Joe Drake in a statement. "Gerard and Chris are storytellers whose work beats with authenticity — not only will this film entertain and thrill audiences worldwide, but spark a discussion about our current world." Although ANTEBELLUM will now debut on PVOD, it will still be released in some theaters internationally, so certain audiences might just be lucky enough to see the film on the big-screen. "While we designed ‘Antebellum’ to be consumed as a communal experience in the theater, we are thrilled by the unique opportunity we have to pivot to a different kind of communal moment in our culture," said Bush and Renz said in a statement. "As we face the realities of systemic racism in our country, which have crescendoed to this current inflection point in 2020, we understand how imperative it is to bring ‘Antebellum’ to the broadest audience possible, while also prioritizing health and safety. It is our ardent hope that by sharing our film widely, both nationally and internationally, we will transform the moviegoing experience from home into a true event."
The official synopsis for ANTEBELLUM:
Successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe) finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. ANTEBELLUM is a terrifying new thriller from the producer of the acclaimed films GET OUT and US, and groundbreaking directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz (Bush+Renz) – an exciting new voice in filmmaking.
ANTEBELLUM will debut on PVOD on September 18, 2020.