The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in every sphere of life, but especially in the movie industry. In a real shocker in such a situation, the WWII naval drama Greyhound, written and starring Tom Hanks, will release directly to Apple TV+.
Greyhound was previously supposed to release on June 12, the Father’s Day weekend, but Sony Pictures changed its mind quite abruptly. Additionally, the film will be one of the major commitments of Apple TV. This also proves that Apple TV is making its move and starting to become a very aggressive streamer in the market when it comes to auctions of films and TV projects.
Hanks will also be testing the waters with the digital release of Greyhound. A star-vehicle film releasing directly to a streamer in more than 100 countries is truly something. It also further proves how much the coronavirus has changed the plans of studios all over the world.
However, this is not the only way that Hanks has made headlines when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. He was the first big celebrity who, on the set of the Baz Luhrmann-directed Elvis Presley movie for Warner Bros., announced that he had tested positive of the virus. Luckily, both he and wife Rita Wilson were quarantined and overcame the disease.
Although Apple has yet to confirm a date, it is to be seen how people will take to the release of such a big-budget movie such as Greyhound to digital streaming services.
Greyhound is a story set in the early days of World War II. Tom Hanks’ Capt Ernest Krause leads an international convoy of 37 Allied ships across the treacherous North Atlantic and if that wasn’t perilous enough, they are closely followed by a pack of Nazi submarines.
Although Greyhound is Apple’s biggest feature commitment (according to Deadline), as stated above, it is not the only one. There is a list of many acclaimed titles which are joining the list such as Beastie Boys Story, The Elephant Queen, The Banker, Boys State, On the Rocks and Hala. This is also a good time for Apple to invest in movies which studios are wishing to offload – considering most of the viewers are online at the moment.
The Greyhound release comes after many studios have released movies directly to online platforms. This includes Warner Bros. who are planning to move Scoob! to HBO Max. other than this, Disney is releasing Artemis Fowl and Hamilton to Disney+. Studios like Paramount have sold films like The Lovebirds to Netflix.
The arrangement is definitely working out for streamers, especially Apple TV, who are just making their way in this very competitive market. A film like Greyhound will definitely help Apple to get more people to subscribe to their services, and will also ensure that their current subscribers are entertained. because let’s face it, the strategy here is to keep people entertained by throwing something eye-catching now and then.