Comcast NBCU: Same day movie availability
March 17, 2020
By Colin Mann
In response to limitations imposed as a result of Covid-19, NBCUniversal has confirmed that Universal Pictures will make its movies available in the home on the same day as their global theatrical releases.
Beginning with DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour (opening April 10th in the US) the company will also make movies that are currently in theatrical release available on-demand starting as early as Friday, March 20th. Titles from Universal and its speciality label Focus Features, including The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma, will be available on a wide variety of the most popular on-demand services for a 48-hour rental period at a suggested retail price of $19.99 (€23.41) in the US and the price equivalent in international markets.
Given the rapidly evolving and unprecedented changes to consumers’ daily lives during this difficult time, the company felt that now was the right time to provide this option in the home as well as in theatres. NBCUniversal will continue to evaluate the environment as conditions evolve and will determine the best distribution strategy in each market when the current unique situation changes.
“Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable,” said Jeff Shell, CEO, NBCUniversal. “We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theatres where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible.”
The Trolls World Tour release will benefit from the full arsenal of a marketing campaign already underway, including Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky’s cross-company Symphony support, which will be in full effect. The day-and-date release will be concurrent with Trolls World Tour’s local theatrical release date in each international market where available.