Anna Daniels
The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has sent the world economy into a tailspin. Many industries and workers have already had their livelihoods devastated, and the movie industry — typically a bastion of resilience during a recession — has been particularly hard hit. As people continue to heed advice from public health officials to avoid gatherings of 10 or more people, demand at the box office has cratered.
This has forced several studios to make difficult decisions about how to deploy expensive tentpole features like Birds of Prey, Frozen 2, and Bloodshot. In the first two instances, the early arrival on streaming services only represented an acceleration of the typical timetable for release. Bloodshot is one of the first examples of a potential blockbuster that had its theatrical run cut short by coronavirus.
Before the unprecedented move from Sony, Bloodshot had just opened in theaters on March 13th. That weekend proved an inauspicious one for a debut, as the exploding COVID-19 pandemic dropped box office receipts to a 20-year low (via The Hollywood Reporter). Bloodshot still claimed second place, but it was a weak second place at only $9.3 million.
Bloodshot now joins NBCUniversal’s The Invisible Man and The Hunt as one of the major genre films rushed to streaming in violation of the contractual window for theatrical exclusivity. Even though critics have had mixed reactions to the movie so far, the early release will undoubtedly provide a welcome bit of escapism to the millions of people worldwide confined by lockdowns, “shelter in place” orders, and good old social distancing.
Written by: Looper
