It seems like just last week, Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel as the eponymous Valiant Comics character, was beginning its time in theaters. Oh wait, that was last week. Well, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic dealing a huge blow to the film industry, you now only have to wait until next week to watch Bloodshot in the comfort of your own home.
Starting next Tuesday, March 24, Bloodshot will be available for digital purchase, though it hasn’t been announced yet when the Blu-ray and DVD copies will follow. Here’s what Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman said about Bloodshot’s early digital release in a statement (via THR):
Sony Pictures is firmly committed to theatrical exhibition and we support windowing. This is a unique and exceedingly rare circumstance where theaters have been required to close nationwide for the greater good and Bloodshot is abruptly unavailable in any medium. Audiences will now have the chance to own Bloodshot right away and see it at home, where we are all spending more time. We are confident that -- like other businesses hit hard by the virus -- movie theaters will bounce back strongly, and we will be there to support them.
To clarify, this VOD release will anyone to own Bloodshot after dropping $19.99, rather than paying to only rent it for a 48-hour period, as is being done with the likes of The Invisible Man, The Hunt, Emma and the upcoming Trolls: World Tour. In that regard, Bloodshot follows in the footsteps of movies like Birds of Prey and The Gentlemen, which enjoyed longer times in theaters, but had their digital home releases moved up as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Bloodshot had the misfortune of being released on an opening weekend that saw the domestic box office revenue hitting a 20-year low. The movie ranked in third place with an approximated $9.7 million domestic opening, and as of now it has only raked in around $24.2 million worldwide off a $45 million budget.
This move also comes as major theaters chains Regal Cinemas, AMC Theatres and Cinemark are closing their locations across the country for the foreseeable future. Naturally that means that there are significantly less opportunities for people to check out Bloodshot on the big screen, and combined with the recommendations to quarantine/social distance, it makes sense why Sony has decided to make Bloodshot available digitally much earlier.
Bloodshot marks Vin Diesel’s second go-around in the superhero realm, as he also voices Groot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this movie, Diesel plays Ray Garrison, a soldier who’s assassinated, but resurrected by nanotechnology and turned into a weapon. While he initially loses the memories of his old life, Garrison eventually remembers who killed him and his wife, and goes on a mission to exact vengeance.
Vin Diesel’s Bloodshot costars include Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, Guy Pearce, Lamorne Morris, Talulah Riley, Alex Hernandez, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Tamer Burjaq. This marked Dave Wilson’s feature directorial debut, and Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer wrote the screenplay.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news concerning Bloodshot and other movies news, and look through our 2020 release schedule to learn what movies are still scheduled to arrive later this year, though given the state of the world right now, these dates are obviously subject to change.
