Will Disney & Marvel Release New Mutants on VOD Next Week?

The New Mutants has earned one of the most complicated releases in the modern history of superhero cinema, earning so many delays for so many reasons that it's become a joke among comic book fans that the film doesn't even really exist. Despite those delays and changes in ownership of distribution rights, the film recently announced that it will have a virtual panel at the upcoming Comic-Con@Home event, leading us to wonder if the best thing that current distributor Disney could do for the film is to release it on VOD or on one of the streaming services it owns to finally give fans what they've been waiting years for.

What makes us hopeful about New Mutants debuting next week is that the upcoming Comic-Con panel will feature director Josh Boone as well as stars Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Alice Braga, Blu Hunt, and Henry Zaga. This marks one of the only major publicity events that the actual cast or crew have been involved in since the project earned its first delays, hinting that Disney is committed to releasing the film imminently.

The film's current release date is August 28th, delayed from its previous April 3rd release date, due to the coronavirus pandemic seeing theaters around the world being shuttered. Various major theater chains are hoping to reopen in the coming weeks, as films like Tenet and Mulan are both expected to open in August, though the increase in confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States has resulted in theaters who have opened already closing down again, leading to speculation that it could be months before theaters can reopen in any substantial capacity.

Earlier this year, highly anticipated films like Trolls World Tour and Pixar's Onward both skipped a theatrical release to land on premium VOD and Disney+, respectively, while horror films like The Invisible Man and The Hunt both quickly pivoted to the premium VOD format as theaters began closing. There's a precedent for a number of films being made available at home in various formats, so with it being likely that theaters will only barely be open at the end of August, if at all, Disney is forced to decide between giving the film its fifth release date delay or unveiling it on either Hulu, Disney+, or on premium VOD. If it is pushed back from its August release date, it would mark nearly three years from the time audiences saw the first trailer to its actual release.

Whatever might be in store for audiences, we'll likely get some answers about The New Mutants' future next week.

Are you hoping the movie hits streaming next week? Let us know in the comments below!