Wow, I have to admit, though I knew things would probably get worse before it gets better, it still feels surreal. Who knew I’d live through a pandemic in my lifetime… seriously, life is definitely as strange, if not stranger, than fiction these days.
I just got an email from my manager that my company’s mandatory WFH (working from home) has been extended through April 24, about a month from the original March 27 date. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Well, surely we are not going to our local cineplex anytime soon. I read this article on THR today that this is the weekend when box office hit zero for the first time. Wow! I think this marquee on Minneapolis Uptown Theater says it best. #wellplayed
But not everything is all doom and gloom. If you enjoy watching movies in the comfort of your home, plenty of movies that are currently in theaters, some even forgoing theatrical release altogether, are/will be available to stream early.
To make it easy for you, here is a list of 11 movies (this number will likely increase in the coming weeks) that you can watch either now or in a week or so.
Note: Some of them are available for purchase only, not rent.
The Gentlemen (my review)
Original Release Date: Jan. 24
Digital Release: March 24
I enjoyed seeing Guy Ritchie‘s star-studded crime thriller back in February, I just might rewatch it again once it’s available for rental.
Birds of Prey
Original Release Date: Feb. 7
Digital Release: Available for purchase March 24, rental in early April.
This movie grossed close to $200 mil worldwide, though with a budget of $84 mil, they likely could use a boost from digital release sales. This is one of three female-led, female-directed comic book movies coming out in 2020, the two others are Wonder Woman 1984 directed by Patty Jenkins and Black Widow directed by Cate Shortland. I sure hope we’ll get to see Wonder Woman in June, though it just might be postponed just like Black Widow that’s supposed to come out in May.*
* Wonder Woman will now be released on August 14! (updated Wed, 3/25)
Anyway, I had missed this one in the theaters, so I can finally watch it in a few weeks!
Sonic the Hedgehog
Original Release Date: Feb. 14
Digital Release: You can purchase this video game adaptation on March 31.
Surely those with kids will be all over this one, surely G and PG movies will be super popular since the kiddos don’t have school to go to, some likely for the rest of the year!
Emma (my review)
Original Release Date: Feb. 21
Digital Release: March 20 – Available as a 48-hour rental through numerous providers: Apple, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, DirectTV, Fandango, etc.
If you’re a fan of Jane Austen or period drama in general, this rom-com offers a delightful escape–to the lush English countryside–from self-quarantine (even if you do live in an English countryside, I think it’s still fun to watch this, ha!)
The Invisible Man
Original Release Date: Feb. 28
Digital Release: March 20 – Available as a 48-hour rental through numerous providers: Apple, Amazon, GooglePlay, XFinity, DirectTV, Fandango, etc.
This film based on H.G. Wells’ classic was originally going to be a part of the Dark Universe, with Johnny Depp starring as the titular character, but the whole idea was reworked after the box office failure of The Mummy (2017). I barely remembered Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon in the titular role, but this one got a pretty decent review so I might check it out at some point.
Onward
Original Release Date: March 6
Digital Release: Available on VOD March 20 & streaming on Disney+ April 3
Some people have called this Frozen for boys, ahah. That seems rather sexist to me since plenty of girls would enjoy stories about brothers, but whatever. The trailer of Pixar’s latest, featuring the voices of fellow Avengers Tom Holland and Chris Pratt looks pretty charming. We all could use something fun and uplifting given the dire state of the world we’re living right now.
The Way Back
Original Release Date: March 6
Digital Release: March 24 – Available for digital purchase download
This film did have a couple of weeks theatrical release before the pandemic forced states to close cineplexes. Sounds like a personal film for Ben Affleck who plays a high school basketball coach dealing with alcoholism.
The Hunt
Original Release Date: March 13
Digital Release: March 20 – It’s currently available to rent in 48-hour viewing windows for the price of $19.99, via a wide variety of on-demand services, including iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime, and FandangoNow.
This satirical horror movie has gone through pretty extensive delays. It was supposed to come out on September 2019, but its theatrical release was delayed all the way to March 13 in the wake of several mass shootings and political controversy. I just might rent it just to see what the fuss is about.
Bloodshot
Original Release Date: March 13
Digital Release: Tuesday, March 24.
You might have to wait a whole year to watch Fast and Furious 9, but if it’s any consolation for you Vin Diesel fans out there, Bloodshot will be available to purchase today for the retail price of $19.99.
I Still Believe
Original Release Date: March 13
Digital Release: March 27
I’m actually familiar with Christian music star Jeremy Camp and remember that he lost his wife to cancer. This film chronicled his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope. It stars New Zealand actor KJ Apa as Camp and Britt Robertson as his young love Melissa Henning. I haven’t seen I Can Only Imagine which is about Mercy Me’s frontman Bart Millard, so it’d likely make a perfect double feature viewing!
Love Birds
Original Release Date: April 3 (theatrical)
Digital Release: April 3 (Netflix)
Per The Verge, this comedy starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, marks the first time during this period that a studio movie (Paramount) lost its theatrical release and will head straight to a third-party streamer — Netflix. I wonder how many other movie will follow suit and head straight to a streaming platform.
Which of these have you seen and/or planning to watch soon?
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Great for you to put together this list, Flixy, very helpful! So, since movies like the untitled Elvis Presley film (Tom Hanks, Rufus Sewell) have halted production, will we be in a movie drought by this time the next year, I wonder? ;-D
Hi Becky! There might be an onslaught of movies coming next year as all the studios would be making up for lost time, but who knows. Yeah, that Elvis movie sounds really good and what a cast!
I want to see The Invisible Man, but it costs 20 bucks to do so. I’ll have to wait. I’m using the time to fill in some blind spots with classic cinema. 😉
Hi Cindy! Yeah there’s no way I’m shelling out 20 bucks for rental when there are so many FREE available content out there. What a great idea to fill your time catching up on classic cinema blindspots!
I do hope both Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984 gets theatrical release, those two films deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible, especially Wonder Woman 2 because the big action scenes were shot with IMAX cameras.
I won’t be paying $19 for these early movie releases, many of them aren’t even 4K and Dolby Atmos. I’ll wait for a month or two until the studio can offer these films in 4K and Atmos. I do want to see The Hunt and The Invisible Man.
Well, Black Widow is delayed indefinitely and Wonder Woman is pushed to August 14. I sure hope we can still salvage our Summer since our Spring is pretty much gone as we are urged to stay at home as the weather turns nicer 😦
I’ll just wait for The Hunt and Invisible Man to be available to rent. Paying $5-6 bucks is ok but no way I’m paying more than 10 bucks for those.
I’m glad Wonder Woman 2 is still going to be release this summer, of course they’ll probably move it again if things don’t improve here in the next couple of months. My guess is Disney will to see how China’s market will perform before opening Black Widow. The Chinese love Marvel’s films, almost all of their earnings came from the Chinese market. I’m sure they were banking on Mulan to make tons of money there but of course they have to wait and see if things will come back to normal over there.
Yeah, I still by 4K discs but only if they’re like $10. Charging $19 for a movie with not much features is ridiculous.
Birds of Prey I have seen and totally recommend as it’s just a whole lot of fun.
I’ll watch it as soon as it’s available for rental!
I plan on renting Emma and I’m definitely checking out Love Birds and Onward once they hit Netflix/Disney+
I hope BOP makes a ton of money on VOD, it deserves it.
Emma is a good one! I’m glad we won’t wait too long for Love Birds and it’ll be free as it’ll be on Netflix. I think there’s a chance BOP would make some money in digital release, I know I’m looking forward to renting it!
I’ve been watching some favourite old films and doing lots of reading around the blogosphere. I’m glad to hear you and your loved ones are safe.
Hey Paul! Glad to hear you’ve been watching some old fave movies. Hope you’re staying safe too!
Emma was alright… I wasn’t in love with it. I will try to see Lovebirds for sure. Hopefully it’s fun!
Hey Getter, I wasn’t in love w/ it either, but as a massive Jane Austen fan, Emma is not exactly my favorite. I wish they’d do more Persuasion adaptations!
The problem is that they are pretty expensive for a rental. I understand why, but 20 bucks when a rental is normal 5 is a bit much. I understand that that is the price of two movie tickets, but keep in mind that when going to the movie theater you are also paying for the “night out”, so to speak. I realize this doesn’t matter to some people, but I am one of those for whom it does.
Yep I feel the same way, Ian! They can’t charge the same amount as theaters without the ‘going to the movies’ experience. Plus there are plenty of FREE content out there, so I’d rather wait than pay top dollars anyway.