It’s official: Janelle Monáe’s Antebellum will be a Premium Video On-Demand release. Lionsgate confirmed today that their cryptic horror film will debut on all platforms on September 18th with a limited theatrical release in various international markets.
Written and directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, the film follows a successful author (Monáe), who finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality that forces her to confront the past, present and future … before it’s too late.
“While the theatrical experience will always be the heart of our business, we are thrilled that we are able to seize the opportunity to match Gerard and Chris’ urgent and immediate film with a release strategy befitting this moment of extraordinary change,” announced Lionsgate chairman Joe Drake. “Gerard and Chris are storytellers whose work beats with authenticity – not only will this film entertain and thrill audiences worldwide, but spark a discussion about our current world.”
Bush and Renz echoes those thoughts in a joint statement:
“While we designed Antebellum to be consumed as a communal experience in the theater, we are thrilled by the unique opportunity we have to pivot to a different kind of communal moment in our culture. As we face the realities of systemic racism in our country, which have crescendoed to this current inflection point in 2020, we understand how imperative it is to bring Antebellum to the broadest audience possible, while also prioritizing health and safety. It is our ardent hope that by sharing our film widely, both nationally and internationally, we will transform the moviegoing experience from home into a true event.”
Antebellum was originally slated for an April 24th before being bumped back to August 21st. In recent weeks, it was removed from schedule, prompting concerns that the title may have been pushed to 2021. Fortunately for horror fans, that’s not the case.
Rest assured, this won’t be the only title we hear about in the coming days. With even Disney pivoting to Video On-Demand for a blockbuster like Mulan, the model is certainly becoming more and more attractive for studios.
Revisit the trailer for Antebellum below.
Finally discover #Antebellum, the ultimate big screen event – watch on demand at home September 18, 2020. pic.twitter.com/EdFehlqMM0
— ANTƎBELLUM (@antebellumfilm) August 6, 2020
