SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run May Follow Trolls & Scoob! To VOD
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run might join fellow animated films Trolls World Tour and SCOOB! in skipping a theatrical run and going straight to VOD. With the coronavirus pandemic shuttering movie theaters across the globe, studios have been forced to make a difficult decision: Delay their major 2020 films until theaters reopen, or send them straight to VOD. Most have opted to keep their biggest films postponed so they can score a proper theatrical run, as in the case of Universal's F9 and Warner Bros.' Wonder Woman 1984. However, there have been a few notable films that went the streaming route, beginning with Trolls World Tour.
Instead of waiting for a theatrical run, Trolls World Tour debuted on VOD the same day it would have hit theaters and seemed to find great success. Reportedly, the film was able to surpass the original Trolls' box office total. Warner Bros. decided to do the same with SCOOB!, which just hit VOD last weekend. Whether the VOD shift was as successful for SCOOB! was it was for Trolls World Tour remains to be seen, but it did jump to the top of several premium VOD charts over the weekend.
Now experts are speculating that Sponge on the Run could make the same move. While contributing to a report for CNN Business, Jeff Bock, senior analyst at entertainment research firm Exhibitor Relations, guessed that of all the remaining summer movies, Sponge on the Run stands as one of the most likely to skip a run in theaters. "We just don't know at this point what the world will look like in June and July, but what we do know is if studios are planning to release these films in theaters, they'd have to begin advertising them right now," said Bock. "That's more money that they might be risking. That's why these some of these films make a lot of sense going straight to digital." Bock also cited Bill & Ted Face the Music as a possibility.
Right now, Sponge on the Run is slated for release on August 7, where it had been moved to following a delay from Paramount. Movie theaters in the US hope to reopen by July, when it can show films like Tenet and Mulan. However, even Tenet, one of the biggest films of the year, is debating moving from July. If it does, insiders have speculated that there could be no new movies until Christmas.
Movie theaters have grown worried about the increasing trend of studios sending their films to VOD early (see, the messy Universal vs. AMC Theatres fight), and seeing yet another movie dodge theaters, in the case of Sponge on the Run, could serve to make them more uneasy. However, there is also a case to be made that Sponge on the Run is the ideal film to go straight to VOD, as it's geared towards children and likely wouldn't have been a major blockbuster. As of right now, this is all speculation, and it'll be up to Paramount as to whether SpongeBob and Patrick settle down at home or in a theater.
Source: CNN Business