In 2018, the Halloween franchise delivered a relaunch of sorts, with the simply-named Halloween serving as only a sequel to the 1978 original, and thus bringing Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode back into conflict with Michael Myers, a.k.a. The Shape, for the first time in four decades within this continuity. While the Blumhouse-produced sequel could have easily been a one-and-done affair, Halloween’s critical and commercial success resulted in Halloween Kills and Halloween Kills being greenlit, and the former comes out next month. But today brings word that in addition to its theatrical run, Halloween Kills will be simultaneously available on streaming.
Universal Pictures, Blumhouse and Miramax have announced that Halloween Kills will premiere on Peacock on October 15, the same day it hits theaters. This is the second Universal movie that’s delivered a day-and-date premiere this year, following The Boss Baby: Family Business back in July. Much like what Warner Bros has done with its 2021 movies on HBO Max this year, Halloween Kills will be available to Peacock Premium and Peacock Premium Plus subscribers at no extra cost (sorry to the folks on the free tier).
Over on Instagram, Jamie Lee Curtis shared the Halloween Kills date-and-date news with the following video:
While The Boss Baby: Family Business made over $105 million worldwide (far less than what its predecessor pulled in, though obviously COVID-19 wasn’t a factor back then), Universal didn’t divulge how much many people tuned in to watch the sequel on Peacock. Evidently the studio was pleased enough by its performance, though, as Halloween Kills is getting the same treatment. Whether this is in response to the delta variant impacting theatrical turnout or simply wanting to get more eyes on Peacock, at least now Halloween fans have another option for watching the latest installment.
Made off a production budget somewhere between $10-$15 million, Halloween collected over $255 million in 2018, making it the highest-grossing slasher movie of all time unadjusted for inflation, an honor that previously belonged to 1996’s Scream. Along with Jamie Lee Curtis reprising Laurie Strode and James Jude Courtney taking over as Michael Myers (though Michael’s original actor, Nick Castle, reprised the character for a scene), Halloween’s cast included Judy Green Andi Matichak, Will Patton and Haluk Bilginer, among others. Pineapple Express’ David Gordon Green directed and co-wrote the script with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley. Green and McBride resumed their respective duties on Halloween Kills, and Scott Teems also worked on the script.
Halloween Kills picks up minutes after Halloween ended, with Michael Myers escaping a fiery death and the women of the Strode family teaming with other survivors to finally eliminate this masked menace once and for all. While we count down the remaining weeks until Kills’ October release, learn what other movies are left to come out this year in our 2021 release schedule.
