Paramount Pictures has put Clifford the Big Red Dog back on the release schedule and set it for a day-and-date release for theaters and Paramount+. Based on the children's novel of the same name by author Norman Bridwell, the film follows a young girl named Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) as she adopts a small red puppy. However, one night Clifford grows into a giant dog and attracts the attention of everyone in New York City.
The film was originally set for release on November 13, 2020, but was delayed to November 5, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was then pushed up to September 17, 2021, and was set to have its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. However, in July 2021, the premiere was canceled and Clifford the Big Red Dog was taken off the release schedule due to rising concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic. No release date was set at the time, and Paramount Pictures was left deciding what to do with the film.
Now, Paramount Pictures has put the film back on the release schedule. According to THR, Clifford the Big Red Dog will be released on November 12, 2021, and has been given a day-and-date release in theaters and on Paramount+. Sources close to the film told THR that that newly installed Paramount Pictures CEO, Brian Robbins, pushed for a theatrical component versus a streaming-only debut on Paramount+. Robbins’ boss, ViacomCBS chief Bob Bakish, supported that choice.
The film is now set to open a week after Eternals (a film it once shared a release date with) and a week before Ghostbusters: Afterlife and King Richard. Currently, Clifford the Big Red Dog is the only wide release film set to open that weekend in theaters, but Kenneth Branagh's Belfast is set to open in limited release. November 12, 2021, will be a big week for streaming released films as Clifford The Big Red Dog will be competing with Home Sweet Home Alone on Disney+ and Netflix's Red Notice and Tick, Tick...Boom!.
Clifford the Big Red Dog's hybrid release strategy comes along at a time when Paramount Pictures is in a state of transition. The studio is reportedly shifting its focus from theatrical releases to streaming films and is raising the profile of its streaming service with a new Paranormal Activity film on Halloween weekend. The hybrid release strategy worked out for fellow Paramount family canine film, Paw Patrol: The Movie, which opened in theaters and Paramount+ day-and-date, and as of this writing, has grossed $103.6 million at the worldwide box office. Paramount is hoping that the release strategy for Clifford the Big Red Dog will draw more viewers to Paramount+.
Source: THR