With Antebellum's move to a VOD release, on-demand is proving to be horror's best option in 2020. A plethora of highly-anticipated horror movies were slated to come out this year, but they were all delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As the virus rages on far longer than anyone anticipated, studios are turning to alternate methods for releasing movies, with a straight to VOD release being the most common among the choices.
A VOD release isn't a suitable release for every delayed movie. Audiences shouldn't expect something along the lines of Tenet to have a solely digital release any time soon, as that would likely end up losing the studio far more money than it would make with a traditional theatrical release. A VOD release is a perfect option for horror movies. As they tend to have a smaller budget than blockbuster films, studios might not even suffer a loss by sending horror movies straight to VOD.
Smaller budget horror films have already found success in a VOD premiere. As Antebellum has a big star—Janelle Monáe—attached to it, the film's VOD release will be an important step in the great movie experiment of 2020. Should Antebellum perform well, it'll prove that on-demand can sustain horror movies in 2020 because audiences have a bigger taste for the genre than studios expected.
It's a risk for studios to release a movie intended for theaters in an alternate way. As the Coronavirus robbed studios of their options, they didn't really have a choice. Not only do horror movies tend to have smaller budgets, but the genre itself is traditionally considered pretty niche, making it the perfect candidate for this unprecedented experiment. During the pandemic, a number of indie horror movies were released in avenues other than a traditional theatrical run, such as drive-ins and VOD releases. In a strange turn of events, those films have been thriving upon their release. Even though it debuted at drive-in theaters, The Wretched managed to break box office records that were previously only reached by major blockbusters. Relic and The Rental also performed well in their VOD and very limited theatrical debuts.
Whether it was driven by a thirst for new content or the fact that studios simply never gave the horror genre a fair try, this has proven that the general population has a taste for horror movies. The success of these smaller horror movies is likely what opened the door for Antebellum's VOD release. Universal's new shortened window between theaters and digital is only proving the growing importance of VOD. Other platforms, such as streaming services, are testing new releases as well, like in the case of Mulan being released on Disney+.
Should Antebellum's digital release be successful, more horror movies will likely follow suit. For example, thanks to the studio's new deal, Universal's Candyman could easily make the switch to a VOD release if Antebellum is a success. If more follow Antebellum's lead, it'll prove that horror movies still have a chance at success in 2020, and could change the way movies are released forever.
