Universal Pictures to Make Theatrical Releases Available to Rent on iTunes

NBCUniversal has announced that Universal Pictures will make its movies available to rent from home on the same day as global theatrical releases due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Given the rapidly evolving and unprecedented changes to consumers’ daily lives during this difficult time, the company felt that now was the right time to provide this option in the home as well as in theaters. NBCUniversal will continue to evaluate the environment as conditions evolve and will determine the best distribution strategy in each market when the current unique situation changes.

“Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable,” said Shell. “We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible.”


The company says it will make movies currently in theaters available to rent as early as Friday, March 20. This includes films such as The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma. DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour will be launched on April 10th in the United States.

Titles will be available to rent on iTunes and other on-demand services for a 48-hour rental period at a suggested retail price of $19.99. Please download the iClarified app or follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and RSS for updates.