As of now, The New Mutants is set to be released in theaters on August 28th, which is a little hard to believe considering the fact that Warner Bros. has pushed Tenet back to Labor Day weekend. Many fans have wondered why Disney doesn't just bite the bullet and send the Marvel movie straight to VOD or streaming platforms, but it sounds like it isn't quite that easy.
During a recent interview with Collider, The New Mutants director Josh Boone was asked what's going on, and the filmmaker confirmed that the studio is contractually obliged to release the movie in theaters (there's been speculation that might be the case for a while now).
"With most movies, you sign contracts that guarantee a theatrical release, so it needs to open to ever go digital in the first place," Boone explained. "We just, too, would like to see people to see it in the theater. But it needs to obviously be at the right time when it's safe to go back."
Now, you might be wondering why Disney doesn't just release The New Mutants in the handful of theaters that are open, but chances are the studio has to make an effort. Plus, due to 20th Century Fox's pre-existing deal with HBO, House of Mouse probably wouldn't benefit from sending it to streaming anyway as it would more than likely end up on HBO Max!
We'll be sure to keep you guys updated as we learn more about plans for the movie.