Disney to Release ‘Onward’ Early on Digital Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

With theaters now closed in the U.S. and much of the world, Disney will make current release Onward available in the home via digital beginning Friday.

The Pixar movie — voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland — will be available to buy digitally and via Movies Anywhere for $19.99 starting at 5 p.m. PT. It will be made available early on Disney+ on April 3 in the U.S.

Onward, which first hit theaters in early March, is among a raft of current releases that are counting on home entertainment to make up for the unprecedented closure of cinemas across the globe.

Also heading to digital will be Paramount feature Sonic the Hedgehog, which will be made available for early purchase on March 31. The film will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on May 19.

Ben Schwartz voices The Blue Blur, and embraces his new home on Earth until he catches the attention of evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). He teams up with Sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) to save the planet.

This week, virtually all screens in the U.S. went dark, following in the footsteps of numerous theaters closing overseas, beginning with China in late January.

“While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” said Onward director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae in a statement.

Bloodshot, the new Vin Diesel film from Sony’s Columbia Pictures that hit the big screen a week ago, will be made available for digital purchase on March 24. 

Sony’s Bloodshot digital move comes after NBCUniversal announced earlier in the week that it would be breaking the window between theatrical and home entertainment, with recent releases including The Invisible Man, Emma and The Hunt available digitally for 48-hour rental periods as early as this Friday. Universal’s Trolls World Tour, due out April 10, will be available digitally that day. 

The Onward news comes a day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a “safer at home” directive, which means all residents need to stay in their houses unless they need to go out for an essential service, such as groceries or a medical appointment. 

Estimating that 30 percent — and as high as 70 percent — of Californians might contract the virus, he explained that the state is well-versed in pandemic preparation.

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12:45 p.m. Updated to include the digital release of Sonic.