Disney Pixar made an executive decision to release their animated film Onward online as the coronavirus forces theaters across the country to close their doors.
Onward will be available on Disney’s streaming service Disney+ on April 3. In addition, the animation will be digitally available for purchase at 5 PM on March 20.
The Dan Scanlon directed film originally was released on March 6, grossing $39,119,861 from 4,310 theaters over its first three-day weekend. To date, the movie has made a total of $61,521,849 domestically and $41,626,274 internationally.
The coronavirus threat has forced major studios to consider unconventional ways to get their content to audiences. Traditionally, studios have fought to keep long and extended theatrical windows in order to gain the most revenue out of movie theater ticket sales.
In the past, visionary content makers and business creatives have attempted to persuade the industry to lessen the amount of time between a film transitioning from movie theaters to consumer homes.
While some progress has been made with studios testing same day release business models for both cinemas and streaming services, there’s still a lag that exist.
With high concession prices and risky health hazards (thanks coronavirus), it’s inevitable that theaters will soon become a special occasion (similar to drive-in theaters) instead of an everyday choice for moviegoers.
What do you think? Do you believe that theaters will become a thing of the past or do you enjoy going?
