Theaters across the world are shutting down to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. So what happens to the movies that should be playing? Universal is moving some of their new releases to VOD.
Deadline is reporting that Leigh Whannell‘s brilliant hit The Invisible Man (review) and Craig Zobel‘s controversial film The Hunt, both from Blumhouse, will arrive on VOD Friday, March 20th.
The Invisible Man has already had a successful run at the box office bringing in over $120 million, but The Hunt‘s release came when people were already avoiding public gatherings, so it didn’t make much a splash. Hopefully, the VOD release will help it to rebound. The movies will be available “on-demand 48-hour rental at the suggested price of $19.99.” Odds are we will see a lot more studios follow in Universal’s footsteps and send their new films straight to VOD.
The situation isn’t all bad for us though, we get to watch these great films from the comfort of our own homes, in our P.J.’s.
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 states. “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.”
Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (Us, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) stars in The Invisible Man.
Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer, NBC’s The InBetween), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid, HBO’s Euphoria).
But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turn lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
