Amazon reveals Prime Video Cinema branding for its most recent in-theater rentals, including The Invisible Man, The Hunt, and more. A number of theatrical releases have recently made the jump from theaters directly to on-demand due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Considering how quickly the virus has spread around the globe over the past couple of weeks, people are being encouraged to stay home and practice social distancing to help prevent it from spreading any further. Because of this, a number of businesses have taken to closing down temporarily as well to avoid spreading the virus, including most movie theaters, schools, restaurants, bars, and some offices.
The entertainment industry has also taken a massive hit from the global pandemic. Not only have major conventions and festivals been canceled or delayed -- including the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, and the Cannes Film Festival in France -- but a number of major upcoming releases have also been postponed. Among the films that have taken a hit are James Bond's 25th outing, No Time To Die, Fast & Furious 9, and even Disney's upcoming live-action remake of Mulan. With the state of the entertainment industry continuing to evolve and adapt to the virus's rampant nature, many studios have even taken to releasing their theatrical features on-demand early instead. Universal was the first studio to take this step, releasing The Hunt, The Invisible Man, and Emma early on-demand to rent for $20. Trolls World Tour will also be joining Universal's on-demand slate come April 10. Now, Amazon Prime is revealing a new branding for all of these new theatrical at-home releases.
According to Amazon's website, Prime Video now has a very specific section dedicated to its in-theater rentals. The new section comes with a purple overlay and reads "Prime Video Cinema". It will be catered towards all of these movies making the jump from theaters to on-demand as rentals. Alongside Universal's current and upcoming rentals, Disney and Pixar's latest film, Onward, is also available to rent right now.
The addition of Onward to on-demand as a rental was a recent decision made by Disney, who has taken to following in Universal's footsteps. They recently released Frozen II three months earlier than planned on Disney+, along with releasing Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on digital a few days ahead of time. Onward will also be jumping onto Disney+ much earlier than originally planned. Although it's currently available to rent, it will soon be available to stream on Disney+ as early as April 3 in the United States.
It's likely that these in-theater rentals will become more common in the coming weeks. Considering how unpredictable the coronavirus has been over the past couple of weeks, days even, it makes sense why studios are making the decision to jump to on-demand rentals. Not to mention, theater closures have put quite a dent in the entertainment industry when it comes to major upcoming releases. Amazon's new Prime Video Cinema brand could very well become the new normal, but for now, it's a great way to showcase highly-anticipated new films while individuals practice social distancing.
Source: Amazon Prime Video