The movie world has been in some uncharted territory amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as social distancing restrictions are making the traditional movie theater experience a little harder to follow. Many movies are forgoing theatrical releases in favor of video-on-demand, or are doing a combination of VOD and limited theatrical releases. The latest to use that latter strategy is Antebellum, Lionsgate’s upcoming horror feature starring Janelle Monae. On Thursday, it was announced that Antebellum will be getting a premium Video on Demand release, but will be released theatrically in some international theaters. This new release on PVOD is expected to begin on September 18th, with the film being available for a $19.99 rental.
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“While the theatrical experience will always be the heart of our business, we are thrilled that we are able to seize the opportunity to match Gerard and Chris’s urgent and immediate film with a release strategy befitting this moment of extraordinary change,” Lionsgate Motion Pictures Group chairman Joe Drake said in a statement. “Gerard and Chris are storytellers whose work beats with authenticity — not only will this film entertain and thrill audiences worldwide, but spark a discussion about our current world.”
This is the third release date that Antebellum has had thus far, with the film previously scheduled to open on April 24th and August 21nd of this year. The August release date was pulled from Lionsgate’s schedule late last month.
Directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, Antebellum stars Monáe as Veronica Henley, a successful author who finds herself trapped a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. The film also stars Marque Richardson II, Eric Lange, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Tongayi Chirisa, Gabourey Sidibe, Rob Aramayo, Lily Cowles, and Jena Malone.
“I know that it’s about to open up another dimension in my life as an artist and as an actor, and this is definitely one of my most layered and toughest roles to date,” Monae revealed in a previous interview. “So, I had to do some real meditation and prayer. I had to work out a lot. I had to get my head in the mental space to go through Veronica’s journey.”
Antebellum is the latest film to do a combination of VOD and theatrical releases, with Bill and Ted Face the Music and Disney’s live-action Mulan also recently announcing similar strategies.
What do you think of Antebellum hitting VOD? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
h/t: Variety
