Disney just dropped quite the bombshell by revealing that Pixar's Onward will be available to buy digitally and on Movies Anywhere from 5pm PST/8pm EST TODAY. The movie only arrived in theaters on March 6th, and while it had a couple of weeks at the top of the box office, the closure of theaters worldwide means that this was the only real choice the studio had.
Surprisingly, it's also been confirmed that it will premiere on Disney+ on April 3rd in the United States.
There's no word on what the plan is for an international rollout, but this marks a major shift in the landscape of how films are released (at least for the foreseeable future).
"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 Onward director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae in a joint statement released today.
Movie studios clearly want to maintain the big screen experience and keep theaters open in the long run, but it's hard not to wonder what this could mean for how films are released moving forward.
If nothing else, it could lead to a shortening of the window between movies arriving in theaters and then being available on Digital platforms, especially if some theater chains don't survive this pandemic.
Will you be watching
Onward this weekend? Check out our review of the movie by clicking
HERE.
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