Universal to make films available to stream on same day they appear in cinemas

The first film to get this treatment will be Trolls World Tour

In response to the Coronavirus outbreak, Universal Pictures will make films available to stream at home the same day they appear in theatres.

The first film to get this treatment will be Trolls World Tour which will come out at home and in cinemas on April 10.

Leading UK cinema chains Cineworld, Odeon and Picturehouse have announced they will close all UK cinemas from tomorrow (March 18) while they are already closed now in Ireland. To prevent further spread of the virus, in New York and Los Angeles cinemas have been closed.

In a statement, NBCUniversal said it would “continue to evaluate the environment as conditions evolve,” before adding that it will revisit the strategy when the current situation changes."

NBCUniversal said that by Friday (March 20), recently released films including The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma will be available from sister companies Sky and Comcast and on a variety of on-demand services. The suggested price will be $19.99 for a 48-hour rental (£16.30).

Traditionally a movie is exclusively in theatres for what is typically a 90-day window before releasing it on other platforms.

“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,” said NBCUniversal Chief Executive Officer Jeff Shell in a statement.