The latest installment in the Halloween reboot, Halloween Ends, is now set to release simultaneously on Peacock and in theaters. It's an unusual move, but most likely an attempt to bolster streaming numbers.Distributor Universal Pictures was already set to open Halloween Ends in theaters on October 14, but the studio has now chosen to simultaneously release the film on their streaming service Peacock as well. The film will be available on Peacock's paid subscription tier and will be up for 60 days.Star Jamie Lee Curtis made the announcement in a video uploaded to Twitter on the official Halloween Ends account. A new poste for the film was also released, teasing the climactic showdown between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. Universal had used a similar release strategy with Halloween Kills last October, but the film landscape has changed dramatically in the past year. A day-and-date streaming release is an unusual decision that goes against the trend of other streaming platforms. During the early days of COVID, major studios released their films simultaneously on streaming and theatrically, or even scrapped the theatrical release entirely, out of necessity.
In July 2021, for example, Disney released Black Widow in theaters and on Disney Plus on the same day, which led star Scarlett Johansson to sue for breach of contract. Now that theatrical performance has recovered to a moderate degree, studios are shifting back to an emphasis on theatrical releases. Most notably, the recently merged Warner Bros. Discovery found itself in hot water with fans for scrapping several streaming-only projects, including a Batgirl film in the late stages of post-production, and shifting back to a focus on theatrical releases. All in all, Universal is likely trying to boost subscriptions to its struggling subscription service by shifting Halloween Ends to a Peacock release day-and-date.
Halloween Ends is co-produced by prominent horror studio Blumhouse Productions, Miramax, Trancas International Films (owners of the original 1978 Halloween), and Rough House Pictures. David Gordon Green, co-founder of Rough House Pictures along with Danny McBride and Jody Hill, is back to direct Halloween Ends as he did the two previous films in the Halloween reboot trilogy. The first in the series, 2018's Halloween, received a surprisingly positive response from critics and fans, who praised the film for jettisoning the convoluted lore of the decades-long franchise in favor of returning to the series' roots. The second film, Halloween Kills from last year, did not receive nearly as positive a response.
The upcoming Halloween Ends is being marketed as the final face-off between the iconic serial killer Michael Myers and Laurie Strode from the 1978 film. It's hard to believe that Michael Myers, as famously unkillable as he is lucrative, will truly remain dead, but perhaps the thirteenth time's the charm.
Halloween Ends releases in theaters and on Peacock on October 14, 2022.
Source: Halloween Ends/Twitter