The animated Scooby-Doo movie SCOOB! will go straight to streaming and premiere on-demand on its original May 2020 theatrical release date. Like every other major Hollywood studio, Warner Bros. has been forced to make some drastic changes to their release slate in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to moving Wonder Woman 1984 back from its previous spot in June to August, the studio recently changed the release dates for several films scheduled for 2021 and 2022, ranging from Matt Reeves' The Batman to Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic.
There's also the matter of the WB films which were previously scheduled to open between March and July of this year, but have since been indefinitely delayed and yet to be re-dated by the studio. Previously, their ranks included the Broadway stage musical-turned movie In the Heights and the James Wan horror film Malignant, along with the studio's animated reboot of the Scooby-Doo franchise SCOOB!. Earlier today, though, In the Heights was rescheduled for 2021 and has now joined movies like F9 and Jungle Cruise in moving back an entire year from its original spot in 2020.
That wasn't the only major WB announcement today, either. The studio has since confirmed it's sending SCOOB! straight to streaming beginning Friday, May 15 (the same day it was slated to hit theaters, pre-coronavirus). It will be available to rent for a 48-hour period for $19.99 on Premium Video On Demand or for premium digital ownership at the cost of $24.99. Here's the related statement from WB Chairman/CEO Ann Sarnoff:
While we’re all eager to be able to once again show our films in theaters, we’re navigating new, unprecedented times which call for creative thinking and adaptability in how we distribute our content. We know fans are eager to see ‘Scoob!’ and we’re delighted we can deliver this feel-good movie for families to enjoy while they’re home together.
In truth, this move isn't all that surprising; SCOOB! even made our rundown of delayed 2020 movies that could go straight to streaming from earlier this month. Skipping theaters and releasing directly on-demand isn't really a plausible option for tentpoles like Wonder Woman 1984 (which has a production budget of $175 million, not accounting for marketing costs) in the current marketplace, given how dependent they are on their worldwide box office gross to make a profit. However, something (relatively) less expensive like SCOOB! will have a much easier time breaking even via on-demand rentals and digital sales. Not to mention, with HBO Max confirmed to launch in the U.S. at the end of May, SCOOB! could potentially enjoy a nice run on-demand before making its way to WarnerMedia's streaming package in the next couple months, as further incentive for people to sign up.
Clearly, WB was waiting to see if this month's Trolls World Tour was a success releasing directly on-demand before announcing a similar rollout plan for SCOOB!. The Trolls sequel reportedly made about $50 million in its VOD opening weekend, so it stands to reason an equally family-friendly animated feature like SCOOB! could perform just as well, especially with everyone (families with Scooby-Doo-loving children in particular) stuck at home self-quarantining for the foreseeable future. Again, this model won't work for all delayed movies (translation: no, Blade Widow isn't going straight to Disney+), but it should in this case.
Source: Warner Bros.
