As cinemas continue to see a reduction in attendance due to coronavirus, film studios are having to rethink their strategy for getting eyeballs on high-profile releases that are caught in the crossfire of what is now a global pandemic. As such, Universal Studios has announced that they will be making a selection of their movies available on Digital the same day as they would be going live in theaters.
The bold move will begin with Dreamworks Animation's TROLLS: WORLD TOUR, which is scheduled to debut on April 10 in the U.S. The studio also has plans to release films that are already in theaters on-demand as early as Friday, March 20. These films include THE HUNT, THE INVISIBLE MAN, and EMMA, Autumn de Wilde's off-kilter adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel.
As per the plan, Universal is set to make the films available for a 48-hour rental window at a suggested retail price of $19.99 in the U.S. and for roughly the same price in international markets.
“Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable,” NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said in a statement. “We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible.”
Naturally, the move to release the above-mentioned films on home entertainment will be considered a major blow to theaters, who're already dealing with a myriad of complications in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. In fact, this past weekend, domestic ticket sales only managed $53.3 million across the board, a 22-year box office low in terms of overall attendance. As our own Gaius Bolling reported earlier today, the last low happened in 1998, during the Oct. 30-Nov. 1 weekend launch for John Carpenter’s VAMPIRES. That weekend, the box office only managed a top ten tally of $55.2 million. Overall, this past weekend was down 45% from last weekend, when market conditions were arguably normal, and off 60% from the same weekend a year ago.
Despite theaters trying their best to sanitize cinema environments, it's become clear that self-isolating and a fear of infection will have a major impact on ticket sales for the foreseeable future.
What do you think of Universal's move to release major films digitally? Do you have plans to attend any upcoming films despite everyone being urged to stay indoors? Let us know in the comments section below.