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The films skipping theaters and heading straight to streaming
With the COVID-19 pandemic dealing a severe blow to the film industry worldwide, numerous films are premiering on streaming services rather than in theaters.
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'Trolls: World Tour' follows the journey of Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) as they set out to find and unit the six troll tribes, which each represent a different genre of music and have been scattered around the world. (2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC/File)
W
ith the film industry reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, numerous movies have either seen their premieres postponed or been released on streaming platforms.
Below is a list of films that went the second route, as reported by kompas.com.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation, Trolls: World Tour is one of the pioneers in skipping the theaters. A sequel to 2016's Trolls, the film was released on April 10 and is available for digital rental for 48 hours via YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, FandangoNow and Google Play, among other services.
According to Forbes, the film was a success on its opening day and opening weekend, with streaming service FandangoNow reporting that the film was “the most preordered title ever”.
Helmed by Walt Dohrn and David P. Smith, the film follows the journey of Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) as they set out to find and unit the six troll tribes, which each represent a different genre of music and have been scattered around the world.
The film also features a star-studded cast of voice actors, including James Corden, Kunal Nayyar, Kelly Clarkson, Ozzy Osbourne and Mary J. Blige.
Warner Animation Group’s upcoming animated film SCOOB! will be released digitally on May 15.
SCOOB! is the latest addition to the classic American cartoon series Scooby-Doo. The series follows the adventures of four teenagers, Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy, and their beloved and hilarious dog Scooby Doo as they solve mysteries that regularly involve ghosts and other scary creatures.
In SCOOB!, both Shaggy (Will Forte) and Scooby Doo (voiced by Frank Welker) are kidnapped, and Fred (Zac Efron), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried) and Velma (Gina Rodriguez) set out to rescue their friends and discover the reason behind the kidnapping.
Directed by Tony Cervone, the film also stars Mark Wahlberg, Jason Isaacs and Ken Jeong.
Rom-com flick The Lovebirds was scheduled to have its world premiere on March 14 at the 2020 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival and later be released in the United States on April 3, reported Variety.com.
However, the plan was changed due to the pandemic and the film will now air on Netflix on May 22.
Directed by Michael Showalter, The Lovebirds tells the adventure of a lovey-dovey couple Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae), who are implicated in a criminal incident and later struggle to solve the crime to clear their names.
The film also stars Anna Camp, Kyle Bornheimer and Paul Sparks.
Read also: Cinema and COVID-19: National Film Day overshadowed by pandemic
Directed and produced by Kenneth Branagh, Artemis Fowl is scheduled to be released on June 12 on streaming platform Disney+ .
Based on a series of novels of the same name by Irish author Eoin Colfer, the film narrates the story of Artemis Fowl II (Ferdia Shaw), a young genius whose father (Colin Farrell) disappears mysteriously. While searching for his father’s whereabouts, Fowl learns about a different side of his father, which leads to a thrilling adventure.
Artemis Fowls also stars Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Miranda Raison and Nonso Anozie. (wir/wng)
