While there have been many films during the last seven months that have chosen to leave 2020 entirely and find a date in 2021, other titles have gone the inchworm route. Ric Roman Waugh's Greenland is an example of the latter. Since June it has been announcing a series of new release dates... but now it has reached the end of the line. It seems the dream of a big screen domestic release for the feature is over, as plans are now for it to go the premium VOD route.
According to Deadline, Greenland will now be available to audiences on digital platforms starting December 18, and 48-hour rentals will be offered for $19.99. The film has been playing in theaters internationally, and has thus far made $45 million from ticket sales, but that will not be the strategy for the movie in North America.
Greenland was initially scheduled to come out on June 12, and STX Films opted to try and stay optimistic about the potential for theatrical release by repeatedly bumping release plans. From June 12 it moved to July 30; from July 30 it moved to August 14; and from August 14 it moved to September 25. When it became clear in mid-September that the chosen strategy was not working, it was temporarily removed from the release schedule. We can assume that plans won't change this time.
Greenland marks the second time that director Ric Roman Waugh has worked with Gerard Butler, their previous collaboration being later year's trilogy capper Angel Has Fallen (the sequel to Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen). The new film is a disaster feature that begins when scientists discover that fragments of a comet are on a path to collide with Earth, and estimate that the destruction will lead to the extinction of humanity. The only people who have a chance are surviving are those that are able to make it to a group of bunkers in the titular country, and the story follows Gerard Butler's John Garrity and his family as they make their way there. The rest of the cast includes Morena Baccarin, Scott Glenn, David Denman and Hope Davis.
You can watch the trailer for Greenland below:
Greenland joins a busy month in December, with other titles scheduled for release including the critically acclaimed Nomadland, the Ryan Reynolds comedy Free Guy, the Kenneth Branagh-directed Death On The Nile, the Eddie Murphy sequel Coming 2 America, the comic book blockbuster Wonder Woman 1984, and more. To keep up to date with the new releases – including theatrical, PVOD, and streaming – that are still set to debut in 2020, check out our release calendar, and if you're interested in looking ahead, we also have your guide to all of the fresh features set to come out in 2021.
