Universal to make current movies available for home viewing

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While health officials warn people to stay home — and out of movie theaters — to stem the spread of coronavirus, Universal Pictures is going to start letting you watch its current flicks from the comfort of your own living room.

NBCUniversal announced Monday that its movies will now be available on-demand the same day they are scheduled for theatrical releases in the hopes that people will still watch without having to worry about leaving the house.
“Given the rapidly evolving and unprecedented changes to consumers’ daily lives during this difficult time, the company felt that now was the right time to provide this option in the home as well as in theaters. NBCUniversal will continue to evaluate the environment as conditions evolve and will determine the best distribution strategy in each market when the current unique situation changes,” NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said in a statement.

“Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable. We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible.”

The at-home option begins with DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls World Tour,” which opens April 10 in the U.S.
Other films already in theaters, including “The Invisible Man,” “The Hunt” and “Emma," will be available beginning Friday on several on-demand options like iTunes and Google Play.

Not all of Universal’s movies will fall under this new strategy. Blockbusters like "Fast and Furious F9” have already been postponed.