Disney has announced that its latest Pixar animated movie, Onward, will be getting a dramatically earlier release for digital download: it’ll release in the US tonight for purchase starting at 8PM ET, with a streaming release on Disney Plus to follow on April 3rd.
The move makes Onward the latest (and one of the most high-profile) films to cut short its theatrical run in favor of a digital release. That Disney would choose to follow in the footsteps of Universal and Warner Bros. — which are releasing films like Emma, Trolls World Tour, The Hunt, The Invisible Man, and Birds of Prey early — isn’t surprising, given that theaters are closing across the country in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Last weekend already saw one of the worst box office returns in the past two decades, with the entire industry bringing in just over $55 million dollars. Onward led that pack, grossing $10.5 million in the US, but it was a fraction of the nearly $50 million that it had made the first weekend it was available when theaters were more widely open and customers were still flocking to them instead of staying inside.
“While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae in a statement.
Something that’s particularly notable in Disney’s announcement is that Onward will be released extremely early on Disney Plus on April 3rd, just two weeks after its digital availability begins today. Disney already bumped up another Disney Plus release for Frozen 2 last weekend with the goal of “surprising families with some fun and joy during this challenging period.” Presumably, the earlier-than-expected release of the equally family-friendly Onward on the streaming platform is due to a similar motivation.
While Disney is cutting Onward’s theatrical run short, the fact that Onward was already available in theaters when coronavirus-induced closures hit is likely a major contributing factor to its early digital release. Just don’t expect Disney’s bigger blockbusters — like the now-delayed Mulan, Black Widow, or New Mutants — to get a similar streaming treatment in the coming weeks.
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2020-03-20 14:12:38Z
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