Sony Pictures will releaseVin Diesel’sBloodshoton VOD next week due to widespread theater closures stemming from the coronavirus.
Bloodshotwill be available for electronic sell-through on March 24 at a reasonable cost of $19.99, a price point that has emerged as the industry standard.
“Sony Pictures is firmly committed to theatrical exhibition and we support windowing,” said Sony chiefTom Rothman. “This is a unique and exceedingly rare circumstance where theaters have been required to close nationwide for the greater good andBloodshotis abruptly unavailable in any medium. Audiences will now have the chance to ownBloodshotright away andsee it at home, where we are all spending more time. We are confident that – like other businesses hit hard by the virus – movie theaters will bounce back strongly, and we will be there to support them.”
Some industry reporters have suggested it will be hard for Hollywood to put the genie back in the bottle after this, and that once consumers become comfortable shelling out $19.99 to watch new releases in the comfort of their own homes, there will be no going back, but I think that’s terribly short-sighted. Rothman’s statement directly addresses this concern, as he reiterates Sony’s support for the theatrical window. GivingBloodshotan early digital release isn’t about breaking the theatrical window, because theaters are closed. That window does not exist. It’s simply a smart business move that will help the studio recoup the costs of what was surely an expensive theatrical marketing campaign.
Bloodshotfinds Diesel playing Ray Garrison, a soldier who is killed and then brought back to life with superpowers. The film co-starsSam Heughan,Eiza GonzálezandToby KebbellandGuy Pearce.Dave Wilsondirects from a script credited toJeff WadlowandEric Heisserer, and producers includeNeal H. Moritz,Toby Jaffe, and former Valiant Comics CEODinesh Shamdasani.
Other new releases coming to VOD early includeThe Invisible Man,The HuntandEmmafrom Universal,The Gentlemenfrom STX, andBirds of Preyfrom Warner Bros., which has yet to announce an early digital release for itsBen AffleckdramaThe Way Back, though that seems inevitable at this point. For details on when you’ll be able to watchBirds of Preyat home,click here. The studio also released a new trailer you canfind here.
