ViacomCBS CEO does not rule out direct launch on VOD for upcoming movie "SpongeBob"

If a "sufficient critical mass of screens" in August still seems unlikely, ViacomCBS and Paramount have two options. The first is to delay the function again. However, the calendar from autumn onwards is full of films that have already suffered the same fate.

The second is to put it directly online, as a sort of premium version of video on demand (PVOD). Bakish's comments leave this option open. self Sponge on the run ends in PVOD, will be the third feature animated by the main studies to do it due to the rupture of the coronavirus, after Universal Trolls World Tour and Warner Bros. Scoob!, which will be released next Friday. (Sponge on the run It's mostly CGI, with some live action elements.)

As the first film tentpole, animated or not, to give up the theatrical window in this crisis, Trolls World Tour It has become a popular cause in the industry. Jeff Shell, CEO of Universal NBCUniversal's parent company, infuriated the theater owners by announcing the success of the online launch and promised to follow this distribution model even after the crisis passed.

The dispute revolves around two questions: how successful it has been Trolls World Tour state and to what extent are you the beneficiary of unique circumstances, such as a full-fledged marketing campaign and a quick launch at the start of the crisis? The performance of Scoob! will shed light on these topics. Bakish and his team will follow closely.

Sponge on the run It is the first film to feature CG versions of Stephen Hillenburg's characters. Tim Hill (2004 writer and storyboard artist Spongebob's movie) directed from a screenplay by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger and Michael Kvamme. The animation is handled by Mikros Image's studio in Montreal, Canada.