Universal to release ‘Trolls: World Tour’ and current theatrical films on home entertainment
Trolls: World Tour (courtesy Universal/DreamWorks)
With movie theaters closing across the country due to the coronavirus, Universal Pictures has taken the first plunge into immediately shuffling its current slate of theatrical releases, as well as the upcoming Trolls: World Tour, to streaming for home entertainment beginning this month.
Trolls World Tour, from DreamWorks Animation, which was is scheduled to debut in theaters April 10, will now also bow on home entertainment on the same date. Universal is also making its films that are currently in theaters, including The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma (through Universal’s indie leg Focus Features), available on-demand starting as early as Friday, March 20. The films will be available for a 48-hour rental period for $19.99 in the U.S. Last week, Universal moved off the 9th Fast and Furious movie to 2021, so that will not be on the upcoming streaming catalog.
“Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable,” NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said in a statement. “We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible.”
No word yet on other studios falling in line but with this weekend’s box office hitting a two-decade low, expect similar announcements in the coming days.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2026 Tribeca Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary with World Premieres of ‘Hadestown: The Musical,’ ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Doc - April 16, 2026
- ‘Beef’ Season 2 Review: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny and Charles Melton Sink Their Teeth Into Lee Sung Jin’s Meaty Morality Tale [A-] - April 16, 2026
- George Clooney to be Honored at 51st Chaplin Award Gala by Stephen Colbert, Sam Rockwell and More - April 15, 2026
2026 Tonys: Laurie Metcalf (‘Little Bear Ridge Road,’ ‘Death of a Salesman’) May Join Elite Group of Double-Nominated Performers 
2026 Tribeca Festival Celebrates 25th Anniversary with World Premieres of ‘Hadestown: The Musical,’ ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ Doc 
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 149 – ‘Killer of Sheep’ (Charles Burnett, 1978) 
‘Lee Cronin’s The Mummy’ Review: Careful the Spell You Cast, Children Will Listen (and Sometimes Kill) [C]