Sponge on the Run to Premiere on iTunes and other Digital

Following the Trolls World Tour and Scoob!, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run will delay its theatrical release. It will go straight to video-on-demand marketplaces like iTunes before landing on CBS All Access.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run was originally meant to hit theaters on August 7th, but moved to 2021. The movie will first premiere on premium video-on-demand services.

It’ll be available on Amazon, iTunes, and other marketplaces for an undisclosed amount of time before moving to CBS All Access.

By the time it moves to CBS All Access, prior seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants will also be available to stream. This was a confirmation from the company today. 

Previous seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants are available for non-cable customers to watch via NickHits on Amazon. It’s a separate Nickelodeon channel of sorts offering access to a number of Nickelodeon shows for $7.99 a month.

They’re happy to give kids and families a much-deserved lift in any way they can. As such, they will have a PVOD release of the theatrical and putting all seasons of the TV series on CBS All Access. 

These are two ways they can think of to get immersed in the optimism and joy this terrific character represents. This was a statement from Ramsey Naito, executive vice president of Nickelodeon’s animation production and development division.

ViacomCBS is not the first studio to move one of its films to digital release. Its timing sheds some light on how the studio sees the marketplace moving over the next several weeks and months. 

There are still questions about whether audiences will head out to theaters to watch a movie while the pandemic rages. Also, directives from organizations like the CDC still suggest avoiding being in close proximity with other people.

Warner Bros. postponed Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated time-bending blockbuster, Tenet, by two weeks from July 17th to July 31st. Analysts are questioning if Disney will delay Mulan again from its current July 24th spot.

Children’s Movies Go Digital Like iTunes

Children’s movies have seen some success going the digital route like Amazon, iTunes, and other marketplaces. NBCUniversal spouted big numbers for both Trolls World Tour and Scoob!.

SpongeBob has more in common with those two movies than Tenet, Mulan, or Wonder Woman 1984. It was also recently delayed for a second time by Warner Bros.

It’s unlikely that Sponge on the Run will make as much going strictly digital as it might have in theaters. It’s a movie that ViacomCBS can turn into a direct-to-consumer release.

It’s not Mulan, Tenet, Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984, or James Bond, where a theatrical release is a big component. In addition, they will bring it to CBS All Access at the same time as ViacomCBS continues its expansion. The rebranding of its streaming service makes sense for the company.

Arguably, the institution most frustrated by the decision is the National Association of Theater Owners. NATO has come out swinging over the last few months. 

Major studios like Disney, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., and now ViacomCBS remove their movies from theaters and go straight to consumers. Universal’s decision to make Trolls World Tour a digital exclusive led to a lengthy statement from AMC Theaters chair-CEO Adam Aron.

Earlier in June, AMC Theaters warned investors about its shaky future following financial fallout due to the pandemic.