Well well well. See who else jumps on the “hybrid” release bandwagon.
According to multiple outlets, Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures has announced it will release its upcoming movie Nomadland on Hulu on the same day as its wide theatrical release on February 19, a few weeks after the film first debuted on IMAX on January 29. That means yet another studio is taking over the controversial HBO Max approach of the line between giving cinema films when no one is going to the cinema and simply releasing those films on a streaming service to bring in subscribers.
The Chloé Zhao directed Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand, has already received widespread critical acclaim and has managed to pick up multiple prominent awards during his festival run. It centers around a character named Fern who, after an economic crisis in a rural region of Nevada, explores the life of a nomad in the American West.
While Disney has insisted that its Disney + platform isn’t just a service for kids, Hulu remains the logical home for indie releases and adult dramas. And it’s not necessarily surprising that Disney has decided to release a movie previously scheduled for theatrical release on one of its services – it has happened that a handful of times all with movies like Mulan On Disney +. But using a hybrid release model for such a critical darling seems like a strange move by a seasoned studio like Disney, especially since the precipitation HBO Max’s decision to put in a two-for-one rollout for all of its 2021 films was swift.
The problem with this particular kind of middle ground release is that it’s not really a good deal for theaters, which depend on – or relied on on, before, in the olden days – exclusive release windows to get paying customers to seats in their auditoriums. It’s not a great result for that filmmakers, who probably intended to experience their films in theaters. And it’s not a fantastic prospect to have great relationships with talent, whom the studios naturally rely on for, you know, making movies.
However, it is great for consumers who would rather not pay for instant access to a movie through a service they already have subscribed to. It’s also not a bad deal for people who would rather sign up for a new service to stream a movie at home than be in a public place like a movie theater during a pandemic. And who wants to pay a ticket per person when the whole family can stream a movie from the comfort of their own living room?
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But it really feels like studios are establishing a new normal in an age where theaters are not in a good position to make demands. And if we have movie theaters to get back to in a world after a pandemic, they should be able to keep the lights on until then.