One of the most exciting horror releases coming this year is Nia DaCosta’s Candyman. The spiritual sequel to the ‘90s classic was initially slated to come out next weekend, but has since moved its theatrical release to late September due to global health concerns. Theater chains are already starting to outline safe reopening plans for the summer, making Candyman’s date theoretically safe for a fall release. That it, unless it’s also dropping on VOD too?
Candyman himself Tony Todd seemingly teased the upcoming horror film is hitting VOD on the same day of its theatrical release on Twitter. During a conversation with a fan, Tony Todd echoed excitement for the Jordan Peele-produced Candyman. Then this happened:
I’d say the response was too vague except … Tony Todd subsequently retweeted a statement from the fan asking if he had just confirmed Candyman would be hitting VOD on September 25. Could the horror flick be made available to rent/buy digitally on the same day it starts showing in cinemas? We’re not leaving any possibility at the door in 2020. It could happen.
Check out the trailer for Candyman starring Aquaman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Vanessa Williams and Rebecca Spence here:
I can't wait. Could Tony Todd have misread the fan’s tweet? Maybe, but he quite clearly said he’s not planning on visiting a theater this year before he repeated the release date of September 25. Something to keep in mind here is Candyman is a Universal film – the studio which first dropped the ball on releasing a film on VOD on its planned theatrical release date instead of pushing it back with Trolls World Tour.
Universal then said it would be releasing more films in this fashion and has wasted no time doing so for titles including The High Note and Steve Carell’s upcoming political comedy Irresistible, which reaches VOD on June 26. Angered by Universal’s approach during the pandemic, AMC Theatres has vowed that it will not play the studio’s films on its screens.
With this context in mind, could Universal go for a theatrical release and VOD drop on the same day? Theater chains and studios had already been at odds about the initial 90-day theatrical window that was previously in place and theater closures have only heightened this issue. With a global pandemic still in play, audiences might be split between wanting to return to the theatrical experience and continuing to stay safe at home. A theatrical/VOD release date could cater to both of these audiences.
Candyman will follow Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Anthony McCoy, an artist who has just moved to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood with his girlfriend years after sightings of Candyman. Look out for it on September 25 and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates on 2020 movie releases.
