20th Century Studios (f.k.a. 20th Century Fox) has been sitting on The New Mutants’ release for over two years. But following a string of delays, the movie is done and ready to hit theaters. The only problem is that theaters remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. With VOD sales and streaming numbers on the rise during the global health crisis, several fans have been wondering why the studio doesn’t just drop the film on Disney+ or Hulu. Now, writer and director Josh Boone has given a definitive answer to this question.
Boone and his New Mutants cast recently spoke to Collider during this weekend’s Comic-Con@Home event. At one point, Boone was asked about the chances of Disney just biting the bullet and premiering the film on either one of its streaming services. He went on to explain that there are legal reasons why this can’t happen.
“With most movies, you sign contracts that guarantee a theatrical release,” said Boone. “So it needs to open to ever go digital in the first place. We just, too, would like to see people to see it in the theater. But it needs to obviously be at the right time when it’s safe to go back.”
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Currently, The New Mutants is circling an August 28 release date. But this is contingent on whether theater chains will reopen their doors by then. It’s possible that the film could follow the model recently laid out by Warner Bros. for Tenet, which will open in other countries that have done a better job of containing COVID-19 before debuting in select U.S. cities. But this is all just speculation for now.
Are you sad to hear that The New Mutants won’t premiere on a Disney-owned streaming service? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
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