Universal Pictures has announced that David Gordon Green's hotly-awaited horror sequel Halloween Kills is now set to open simultaneously in theaters and on the Peacock Premium streaming service on October 15.
Peacock Premium with ads costs $4.99 per month, while the ad-free Peacock Premium Plus runs $9.99 per month. All Peacock Premium subscribers will be able to watch the film at no extra cost.
It's a somewhat surprising move, especially in the wake of its biggest competition, Sony's Venom: Let There Be Carnage, moving up to October 1 and the box office on an apparent recovery trajectory. But seems to be a decision reached shortly after the film's world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival earlier this week, where it received a decidedly mixed critical reception.
While it's hard to predict how audiences will respond to the film - which by all accounts is a bloodier and more relentless ride than the 2018 installment - it's likely the studio sensed an opportunity to boost the subscriber numbers for their burgeoning streaming platform by bringing arguably the biggest title left on their 2021 release calendar to audiences in theaters and at home on the same day.
Halloween Kills will see the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, with a supporting cast consisting of Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Thomas Mann, Anthony Michael Hall, Kyle Richards, Nancy Stephens, and James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle as Michael Myers.