Sarah Paulson’s new horror movie Run , which was originally slated to premiere over Mother’s Day weekend, is officially bypassing a domestic theatrical run altogether in favor of going straight to Hulu , according to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter .
Run is following in the footsteps of another Lionsgate film, Antebellum , a horror title starring Janelle Monae, which will premiere on PVOD and digital services on September 18. It was initially supposed to open theatrically at the end of April.
Both movies will still have theatrical runs in select international markets. Still, Deadline noted that many production companies are “deciding to forgo low-to-mid budget movies on the big screen, and put them straight into the home.”
Major cinema chains like Cinemark, Regal, and AMC are scheduled to reopen many of their venues this month. However, there is still a significant risk that people will be more selective about when they go to the theater due to safety concerns.
It would seem that production companies are hedging their bets by sending smaller films to streaming instead of risking a box office bomb.
Aneesh Chaganty directed and wrote Run . It is his second feature film after the 2018 John Cho-led thriller Searching .
Chaganty had a lot to say on Twitter in response to the Deadline article.
In a lengthy tweet thread, which can be viewed here , the director noted that some of the comments and “a *bit* of the article itself” seem to “skew more negative than positive.”
He explained the logic behind the decision of moving Run to a streaming service, noting that “by the time theaters do actually open in America, the only films that will be in a position to succeed are the ones with built-in audiences,” mentioning staples like Marvel superhero films, such as the upcoming Black Widow .
“Which average moviegoer would risk (even a small bit) their own health to see a small, original thriller that isn’t directed by Nolan/ Peele/Shyamalan/Johnson etc? I know I wouldn’t. Not until I *knew* theaters and crowds were safe. Which will take time.”
Following up on his assertions, the director said he believes the theater industry is changing drastically in “real time” as the pandemic rages on, and he does not know when the perfect time to release Run in cinemas would be.
As such, Chaganty does not want to keep waiting and would rather fans get a chance to see the movie sooner rather than later.
In conclusion, he said that Hulu feels like the “perfect place” for its debut at the moment.
The film will follow Diane Sherman (Paulson) and her homeschooled daughter Chloe (Kiera Allen), who starts to suspect her mother might be harboring a dark secret.
Run does not yet have an official Hulu release date.