Warner Bros. announces Birds Of Prey will be available on video-on-demand earlier than scheduled as COVID-19 closes multiplexes
Universal Picture announced Monday that several of its current releases will be made available for digital purchase much earlier than scheduled.
And later in the day, Warner Bros. shared the news that it is releasing Birds of Prey, the Suicide Squad spin-off, on video-on-demand on March 24 even though it is still playing in theaters.
The film is expected to cost $19.99 to buy on platforms such as Amazon and iTunes, and will be available for rental in April, Variety reported.
Warner Bros. announced Monday it is releasing Birds of Prey, the Suicide Squad spin-off starring Margot Robbie, on video-on-demand on March 24 even though it is still in theaters
Birds Of Prey stars Margot Robbie as her Suicide Squad character Harley Quinn.
The movie was released on February 8 but has performed disappointingly in theaters, generating $177 million to date according to Variety. It had a budget of $85 million.
The studios are making the decisions to shorten or even abolish all together the traditional gap between showing a movie in theaters and making it available on demand as a growing number of movie theaters shut down across the US amid the growing coronavirus pandemic.
Multiplexes in New York, Colorado, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, have been ordered to close while movie-going overall has plummeted to a 20-year low as audiences follow advice to distanced themselves from others and stay home as much as possible.
In response to the diminishing box office returns as COVID-19 infections increase, Universal said that their DreamWorks Animation movie Trolls World Tour will be available to stream on April 10, the same day as its theatrical release.
Other Universal Pictures titles currently in theatres The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma are also being made available to purchase early.
Earlier on Monday, Universal Picture announced that several of its current releases including The Hunt and The Invisible Man will be made available for digital purchase early
In a statement, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said: ‘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.’
Universal, Paramount and Disney have all postponed the theatrical releases of highly-anticipated films. Paramount’s A Quiet Place 2, Disney’s Mulan and MGM’s James Bond movie No Time To Die have all been pushed to later the year.
It’s not just cinemas that are being hit by the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to avoid large gatherings.
Broadway theatres as well as bars, restaurants, music concerts and festivals are also being canceled or postponed.
As of Monday evening, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US surged past 4,600 with more than 80 deaths reported.
Globally, there are more than 182,000 confirmed cases and more than 7,100 deaths.
Birds Of Prey director Cathy Yan had taken to Twitter to sugges releasing the movie on VOD after hearing about the Universal Pictures decision