Greenland starring Gerard Butler will skip a theatrical release and head to VOD in December
Gerard Butler’s apocalyptic thriller Greenland has become the latest film to skip a theatrical release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
STX Entertainment will release Greenland on digital VOD on December 18, with a 48-hour rental priced at $19.99, via The Hollywood Reporter.
The film has already been released in 24 international markets, earning a solid $27.9 million, though it was originally slated for release in American theaters this summer before being pushed numerous times.
Skipping theaters: Gerard Butler’s apocalyptic thriller Greenland has become the latest film to skip a theatrical release due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Greenland was originally slated for release on June 12, before it was pushed to July 30, then August 14 and then September 25, before it was taken off the domestic release calendar indefinitely.
The film was first released internationally on July 29 in Belgium, and it has fared well in France ($4.6 million) and Spain ($2 million).
This past weekend it also debuted atop the box office in Italy and New Zealand as it continues to expand globally.
Release: Greenland was originally slated for release on June 12, before it was pushed to July 30, then August 14 and then September 25, before it was taken off the domestic release calendar indefinitely
However, as COVID-19 continues to impact theaters in North America, with major markets such as Los Angeles and New York still closed, STX decided to forgo a domestic theatrical release.
Following its VOD release in December, Greenland will be released on the HBO Max streaming service sometime in 2021.
HBO Max reportedly shelled out between $20 million and $30 million for the rights to Greenland on HBO and HBO Max next year, according to Deadline.
Theater impact: However, as COVID-19 continues to impact theaters in North America, with major markets such as Los Angeles and New York still closed, STX decided to forgo a domestic theatrical release
‘Greenland has been a hit everywhere in the world, so it’s exciting to bring it to American audiences on PVOD,’ said STX Films Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson.
The film stars Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin as John and Allison Garrity, an estranged husband and wife who learn fragments of a comet is heading towards Earth which could cause the destruction of humanity.
They race across the country with their young son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) to get to a group of bunkers in Greenland.
Race: They race across the country with their young son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) to get to a group of bunkers in Greenland
Stars: The film stars Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin as John and Allison Garrity, an estranged husband and wife who learn fragments of a comet is heading towards Earth which could cause the destruction of humanity
The film, directed by Ric Roman Waugh (Angel Has Fallen) from a script by Chris Sparling (The Sea of Trees), also stars Scott Glenn.
The shift to VOD comes just as one of North America’s largest theater chains, Regal Cinemas, has announced they will be closed for the rest of the year.
The news also comes just days after Disney revealed its Pixar animated film Soul will debut Christmas Day on the Disney Plus streaming service
Director: The film, directed by Ric Roman Waugh (Angel Has Fallen) from a script by Chris Sparling (The Sea of Trees), also stars Scott Glenn
Theater chains: The shift to VOD comes just as one of North America’s largest theater chains, Regal Cinemas, has announced they will be closed for the rest of the year