With the shutting down of theaters the world over, Pixar’sOnwardgot shafted at the box office. The film could only make around $104 million at the global stage before folding and going to streaming. During a chat, director for the film Dan Scanlon revealed his feelings towardsOnwardhaving to go to digital before getting a full run in theaters,
“Clearly, the right thing to do is for everyone to stay in and be safe and take care of themselves. That said, it’s pretty great that folks are getting to see it online and that people are getting to have a little moment of joy, hopefully, or a little distraction with the film. And it’s been really wonderful to hear on social media, how much they enjoyed the film, how much they enjoyed getting to watch it with their family. And that it did bring them some joy during this time.”
Onwardtells thestory of two elf brothers, who set off on a journey across the land to find a way to bring their dead father back to life. In keeping with Pixar’s commitment to using kid-friendly animation to explore darker themes and emotions, the movie does not shy away from addressing feelings of hurt, loss, regret, and guilt that the characters feel.
With apopular voice cast headed by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, the movie generated plenty of interest during the promotion stage. Upon release, it was praised by critics for being another solid, if not outstanding addition to the Pixar library of movies. While the movie was not able to live up to its box office potential, Scanlon clearly understands that the need of the hour is for families staying locked up in their homes to have something comforting to watch, which is whereOnwardcan prove to be useful.
The shakeup of the film industry by the enforced lockdowns taking place the world over has madestreamingthe go-to choice for many major film studios. While some studios are still holding out hope for being able to release their films in theaters after a few months, the chances of that happening seem very slight at this stage.
When the lockdown ends, it will take some time for audiences to get over their fear of being in enclosed, crowded spaces, even for the chance to seeWonder Woman 1984orTop Gun 2on the big screen. But what is the theater’s loss is streaming’s gain, with many predicting that it will now permanently become the dominant medium of film distribution. This comes fromCinemaBlend.
