Dylan O'Brien's new movie originally titled Monster Problems shifts to an earlier release date and will be released on PVOD, bypassing theaters.
Dylan O'Brien's new movie Love and Monsters (previously titled Monster Problems) will skip theaters in favor of PVOD, and moves up its release date to this year. Love and Monsters joins a long list of movies that have opted for a debut at home instead of waiting to arrive in theaters. Movie theaters around the country closed earlier this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it remains unclear when they will reopen everywhere.
As a result of the pandemic, Love and Monsters distributor Paramount opted for the VOD release for some films, like Blue Story. Other, more blockbuster worthy movies like A Quiet Place Part II and Top Gun: Maverick were delayed to next year for theatrical releases. Now it seems Paramount has opted to not delay Love and Monsters beyond its 2021 release date and instead moves the film up to an earlier debut - but on premium on-demand.
Per Deadline, Love and Monsters will now release at home on October 16, moving up four months from its previous February 12, 2021 date. Love and Monsters will follow the standard model set up for movies skipping theaters. It will be available for 48 hours and adhere to the $19.99 price most studios have set for their PVOD titles. The movie will also be available for purchase for $24.99. Paramount decided on this move due to the demand for new material, while people are largely still staying home. The studio's Chief Operating Officer Andrew Gumpert told Deadline, "Given the demand for new, high-quality entertainment right now, Paramount has decided to release Love and Monsters widely on digital platforms." In his statement, Gumpert assured everyone at Paramount is eager for movie theaters to reopen, but wanted to make their new movie available right now for content-craving moviegoers at home.
Love and Monsters is the second feature film from director Michael Matthews and Matthew Robinson wrote the screenplay, based on a story and earlier draft by Brian Duffield. The plot is said to take place seven years after a "monsterpocalypse" and O'Brien's character must face the monsters on his own to get to someone he knew in high school (played by Jessica Henwick). This is O'Brien's first appearance on screen since the conclusion of The Maze Runner series, which concluded with a third film in 2018. Michael Rooker and Ariana Greenblatt co-star as fellow survivalists O'Brien meets along the way. While the subject matter of Love and Monsters sounds like it could've made for a thrilling theatrical experience, the release slate in coming years will already be very packed with delayed blockbusters.
O'Brien is best known for his role on TV's Teen Wolf, but the dystopian genre is something he no doubt feels comfortable with, having led the Maze Runner trilogy. People who are missing going to theaters are likely looking for some form of escapism so an action-adventure movie might be the right antidote. After most studios shifted their release calendars and strategies throughout spring and summer, Love and Monsters won't be the last movie to change its exhibition plan. The movie industry, especially theatrical distribution, remains in a state of flux and releasing movies at home continues to be an option so products aren't shelved indefinitely.
Saturday, September 19, 2020