Due to the current global pandemic, many movie releases are pulled back. One of them is Paramount Pictures’ new romantic comedy The Lovebirds, starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae.
Paramount Pictures decided to pull A Quiet Place Part 2 from its March release and The Lovebirds from its previous April release date because of growing concerns about the spread of COVID-19. But now the studio announced that The Lovebirds will soon be released on Netflix.
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The Lovebirds Find A New Nest
Originally the movie was expected to be released theatrically on April 3. The movie was meant to have its world premiere this month at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas, but that event got canceled due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The Lovebirds is directed by Michael Showalter, who also directed Hello My Name Is Doris and The Big Sick, which also stars Kumail.
Deadline reported that the media rights and capital are heading to Netflix, and the deal is being prepared at the moment. Paramount had made deals with Netflix in the past – including Bad Robot’s The Cloverfield Paradox, which skipped its theatrical release and directly went to Netflix. Natalie Portman’s sci-fi movie Annihilation was released in domestic markets but then had its foreign premiere on Netflix. A streaming date for the movie is not announced yet, but it is more than likely that this movie hits Netflix on its global release date of April 3. A proper release date will be announced soon.
It is a story about a couple who experiences a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. As their journey to clear their names takes them from one extreme – and hilarious – circumstance to the next, they must figure out how they, and their relationship, can survive the night.
This story delivers a kind of comedy that is totally similar to last year’s Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista’s action-comedy Stuber. The trailers for The Lovebirds are surprisingly good too. This is looking like a good comedy movie to watch and Kumail is known for his comedy. 2020 is a big year for him, considering his role in the upcoming The Eternals as well.
This might be the best move for Paramount and for the movie. The movie is certainly not a big box office draw. It is a romantic comedy, and only a certain type of audience would be interested in seeing these movies in theaters anyway. At least the studio will get some money for selling it to streaming.
When theatres are back to normal, it will be a messy process to see how studios are going to plan a proper reschedule of their delayed movies, so this is will be the best and quickest way for The Lovebirds to reach an audience in times like this. This is not surprising because a number of other studios are releasing their movies on VOD. The film also stars Anna Camp and Paul Sparks.
Are you interested in seeing The Lovebirds? What other movies do you hope to make their way to your home? Let us know in the comments below.
