Though Universal seems to be getting a lot of the headlines about leading the way with releasing films directly onto VOD in lieu of a full theatrical release (due to COVID-19), Focus Features might be the studio that is expanding its Premium VOD (PVOD) strategy more than anyone else. And the studio continues to follow that trend with the political satire, “Irresistible.”
According to Focus Features, Jon Stewart’s film, “Irresistible” is forgoing its planned theatrical release of May 29 (obviously, not going to happen) and instead, releasing the film directly to PVOD on June 26. If you’re not familiar with “Irresistible,” the film follows the story of a Democratic political consultant that ventures to a small town in Wisconsin to help a retired Marine colonel run for mayor.
“Irresistible” is far from the first film to skip theaters and go to PVOD from Focus Features. Previously, Autumn de Wilde’s acclaimed “Emma” found itself quickly out of theaters and onto Digital platforms as it was released right as theaters around the country began to close. The same thing happened to the film, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” Then came the news that the film “The High Note,” which had planned a theatrical run, would hit PVOD later this month.
But Focus isn’t just skipping theaters for all of its films. The highly-anticipated Edgar Wright thriller, “Last Night in Soho” is not arriving in theaters on September 25, as originally planned. However, as of now, Focus Features hasn’t said that the film would be heading straight to VOD and will instead be released sometime in 2021.
“Irresistible” stars Steve Carell, Rose Byrne, Chris Cooper, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace, and Natasha Lyonne. As mentioned, “Irresistible” is written and directed by Jon Stewart, who is best known for his work in comedies and, of course, “The Daily Show.” He previously helmed the feature “Rosewater.”
To help announce the new release strategy and date, Focus Features has dropped a featurette about the political satire. You can watch the video below: