Closed Theaters
The global coronavirus pandemic has caused businesses to close, and people to stay home. What does that mean for the releasing of new movies? Some movies are being released straight to streaming, 
while others are being postponed. Disney’s live-action Mulan has had its release date pushed back. Mulan was set to release in March 2020, but the release date was pushed back to July 24, 2020 (although that may be moved back again). However, other movies like Trolls World Tour have been released digitally.
Big Digital Releases
Trolls World Tour did exceptionally well in its digital release. According to The Wall Street Journal, “In three weeks of digital release, ‘Trolls’ sequel has made more money for Universal Pictures than original did during five months in theaters.” With stats like that it only makes sense for companies to consider digital releases of future films. This potential future has upset theaters. Universal released a statement saying that they would consider a digital release the same day as the theatrical release. This upset some movie theater chains to the point where they are threatening to ban Universal movies completely.
Some movies are already following in the footsteps of Trolls World Tour. The new movie Scoob! opted for a digital release rather than delaying to release in theaters. Although box office numbers for Scoob! were unable to be found, according to IndieWire “All three VOD charts list the animated reboot at #1 for numbers of transactions (not revenue).” With the movie costing $19.99 for a 48 hour rental and $24.99 for an unlimited rental, it can be assumed that the movie is doing at least okay in its box office gross. It wouldn’t be surprising if, after the successes of Scoob! and Trolls World Tour, we were to see more and more movies being released digitally.
The Future of New Movies
Some people prefer the digital release. It allows them to see new movies without having to leave their homes. While others prefer theatrical releases of movies. They like the experience of watching a movie on a huge screen with their favorite movie theater snacks. I’m interested to see how the movie industry proceeds with theatrical versus digital releases in the future. What do you think? Would you prefer to go to the theaters to see a new movie, or would you prefer to watch it from the comfort of your own home?
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