Onward (Pixar) (2020) (1 Viewer)

[Sam Favate]

VOD for Onward is today.

Disney+ on April 3.

No word on the blu-ray.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Sigh.

I know I predicted this, but I have to say I'm still disappointed.

I was really hoping Disney would relaunch Onward in theaters whenever the virus is contained. It's too good of a movie to have its run cut so short and I was hoping that more people would be able to see It in the theatrical environment.

Disney probably decided that it wasn't worth the money to do that and they'd rather just use it as a Disney+ driver.

I do hope the Blu-ray comes along soon though. I am still keeping my steelbook preorder.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Sigh.

I know I predicted this, but I have to say I'm still disappointed.

I was really hoping Disney would relaunch Onward in theaters whenever the virus is contained. It's too good of a movie to have its run cut so short and I was hoping that more people would be able to see It in the theatrical environment.

Disney probably decided that it wasn't worth the money to do that and they'd rather just use it as a Disney+ driver.

I do hope the Blu-ray comes along soon though. I am still keeping my steelbook preorder.

Makes sense to get $$$ from it now. I don't think people in July are gonna say "hey, let's go watch that movie we weren't that interested in 4 months ago!"

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't think people in July are gonna say "hey, let's go watch that movie we weren't that interested in 4 months ago!"

I reject the notion that people weren't interested in it. We don't know what it would have done throughout the remainder of a traditional theatrical run because it didn't have one. Yes, it had a low opening for Pixar, but Coco opened at a similar level and ended up a big hit because people found it over time and it was able to develop legs. Onward might have done the same thing if it had been able to stay in theaters longer.

This also raises the question of what, exactly, theaters will reopen showing when the time comes. They won't want tor relaunch with titles that have already been made available for streaming. But there are so many big titles being delayed now that they can't all come out at the same time without killing each other. Let's say, for example, that Disney decides to release Mulan as their first title back once things calm down. My local Cinemark has 20 screens. Even though Mulan is sure to be a big hit and will be booked on multiple screens, they can't put it on all 20 of them.

That's why a continuation of Onward's theatrical release would have made sense. It would have been a (still) relatively new-is title that had not yet exhausted all of its available theatrical interest, while the big newer product could come in one at a time instead of all at once. Now, though, there's no way it will return to theaters once it has been made available on Disney+.

Belated edit only to fix a typo.

 

[TravisR]

I reject the notion that people weren't interested in it. We don't know what it would have done throughout the remainder of a traditional theatrical run because it didn't have one. Yes, it had a low opening for Pixar...

People were already getting nervous on the weekend of March 6 (my state shut down places on March 12) so they didn't come out like they normally would have. If Onward and Frozen II had been flip flopped, Onward would have made a boatload at Thanksgiving.

 

[Jake Lipson]

People were already getting nervous on the weekend of March 6 (my state shut down places on March 12) so they didn't come out like they normally would have.

Exactly. When I saw it on opening day with my friend, we were the only two people in the theater, which is unprecedented for a Pixar release. The virus concerns weren't quite as extreme here then, but still. I'm glad we got to see it together; he is from out of town and the release happened to occur during his visit.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that the movie would have done better if it were released at a different time. That's why I was hoping Disney would treat it like a new film when this is all over and give it the traditional-length theatrical run it deserves. At least people will be able to find it on Disney+, but it's a gorgeous movie and really benefited from being seen on the big screen.

I can't imagine what it must be like for the filmmakers involved to work on the project for several years and then have its run cut so short by unfortunate outside factors. I'm sure they understand the importance of the shutdown, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing. If it's disappointing for me to see the theatrical run cut short, which it is, I'm sure that is exponentially magnified for the filmmakers.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I reject the notion that people weren't interested in it. We don't know what it would have done throughout the remainder of a traditional theatrical run because it didn't have one. Yes, it had a low opening for Pixar, but Coco opened art a similar level and ended up a big hit because people found it over time and it was able to develop legs. Onward might have done the same thing if it had been able to stay in theaters longer.

I don't doubt that "Onward" would've done better with no shadow of COVID - I just question how much better.

Look at the discussions of the film: even those of us who love Pixar were mostly less than enthused about seeing it.

"Coco" did have good legs, but it also had better reviews. While "Onward" got 87% on RT, many reviews leaned toward the lukewarm side of positive, with comments that viewed it as "lesser Pixar".

I just sensed little excitement about "Onward" before it opened, and that didn't seem to change much after it opened.

I think "Onward" would've ended up with a box office profile closer to that of "Good Dinosaur" than "Coco"...

 

[Jake Lipson]

I think "Onward" would've ended up with a box office profile closer to that of "Good Dinosaur" than "Coco"...

This is all purely hypothetical. I'll contend that the reviews weren't Pixar's best, but the word of mouth was good. It got an A- Cinemascore and had a wide-open playing period in terms of family films. The next thing on the schedule for that bracket of the market was Trolls. When I saw the sneak preview on Leap Day, it was packed and the reaction was through the roof. I absolutely think it would have had a long and leggy run under normal circumstances.

But that's all over now. Disney did what they did and there's no taking it back now that the switch has been flipped on the digital release. The theaters won't agree to have it back when they reopen now even if Disney did want to reissue it. They'll move onto Soul as soon as they can and Onward will just be Pixar's lost theatrical release.

I just hope they don't do something crazy like cancel the release of the steelbook, which I pre-ordered from Best Buy as soon as it went up. They have removed the artwork for it, but not the product listing, and my purchase is still listed as pending. Even though it will be on Disney+ before the disc, I am still happy to buy the fancy edition of this.

I think the movie is absolutely extraordinary from beginning to end and I hope it finds Its audience on home platforms. I think people who found it elsewhere will look back on it and wish they'd been able to see it in a theater. I am certainly very glad I got to have that experience twice, and I would have gone again if the run had not been cut short by all of this craziness.

 

[Tino]

Available now on iTunes for $19.99.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

This is all purely hypothetical. I'll contend that the reviews weren't Pixar's best, but the word of mouth was good. It got an A- Cinemascore and had a wide-open playing period in terms of family films. The next thing on the schedule for that bracket of the market was Trolls. When I saw the sneak preview on Leap Day, it was packed and the reaction was through the roof. I absolutely think it would have had a long and leggy run under normal circumstances.

But that's all over now. Disney did what they did and there's no taking it back now that the switch has been flipped on the digital release. The theaters won't agree to have it back when they reopen now even if Disney did want to reissue it. They'll move onto Soul as soon as they can and Onward will just be Pixar's lost theatrical release.

I just hope they don't do something crazy like cancel the release of the steelbook, which I pre-ordered from Best Buy as soon as it went up. They have removed the artwork for it, but not the product listing, and my purchase is still listed as pending. Even though it will be on Disney+ before the disc, I am still happy to buy the fancy edition of this.

I think the movie is absolutely extraordinary from beginning to end and I hope it finds Its audience on home platforms. I think people who found it elsewhere will look back on it and wish they'd been able to see it in a theater. I am certainly very glad I got to have that experience twice, and I would have gone again if the run had not been cut short by all of this craziness.

Of course this is all hypothetical. My view can't be proven, and neither can yours.

I do think your affection for the movie impacts your opinion, though. It's tougher to view objectively because you feel so upset at the movie's fate...

 

[Jake Lipson]

I do think your affection for the movie impacts your opinion, though.

Insomuch as I love the film and therefore believe in its ability to attract audiences, yes. But I don't think that makes it impossible for me to judge the possible results of the film.

Also, my reaction to a film has very little to do with public perception of it. If I were the arbiter of a movie's success, The Rise of Skywalker would have collapsed after the opening night, but it obviously had a very successful run.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Insomuch as I love the film and therefore believe in its ability to attract audiences, yes. But I don't think that makes it impossible for me to judge the possible results of the film.

Also, my reaction to a film has very little to do with public perception of it. If I were the arbiter of a movie's success, The Rise of Skywalker would have collapsed after the opening night, but it obviously had a very successful run.

Not saying your POV is invalid or wrong. Not saying your reaction impacted the film's box office at all.

You have a theory, and that's cool. I just think your theory is more optimistic about the movie's prospects. You love the movie so much you're convinced a broader audience would've adored it too if they'd had the chance.

I just don't think that would've been the case!

 

[Malcolm R]

Yeah, there are a lot of movies I love that I think should be blockbusters that many others ignore.

I think it would have made money, but I also think this was destined to be one of Pixar's lesser box office hits.

 

[Edwin-S]

I would have gone to see it, but Covid-19 made me decide not to risk a theater viewing as I have been having unrelated respiratory issues recently.

Cineplex has now closed its theaters in Canada until at least April 2nd.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I would have gone to see it, but Covid-19 made me decide not to risk a theater viewing

I absolutely think you made the right decision. However, I think it's too bad that the film landed in this release environment in the first place.

If Disney knew two weeks ago when they launched the film that the theatrical marketplace was about to collapse, they would have delayed the film as they have done for Mulan and Black Widow. I'm glad I got to see it with my friend, because I rarely have that opportunity, but in retrospect would have been better for the film to be delayed.

Oh well.

 

[Edwin-S]

I absolutely think you made the right decision. However, I think it's too bad that the film landed in this release environment in the first place.

If Disney knew two weeks ago when they launched the film that the theatrical marketplace was about to collapse, they would have delayed the film as they have done for Mulan and Black Widow. I'm glad I got to see it with my friend, because I rarely have that opportunity, but in retrospect would have been better for the film to be delayed.

Oh well.

Yes, it was unfortunate that it got caught in the crossfire of an unforeseen event. I really would have liked to see it in the theater, because i Iike to support animated films that use an original story as much as possible.

At least you were able to catch a theatrical viewing the way the film was meant to be seen. That was a good thing. I'll have to see it when it comes out on D+ which is a bit of drag, but better that than possibly coming down with something that could be fatal.

 

[Jake Lipson]

At least you were able to catch a theatrical viewing the way the film was meant to be seen. That was a good thing. I'll have to see it when it comes out on D+ which is a bit of drag, but better that than possibly coming down with something that could be fatal.

Oh, absolutely. I would not encourage anyone to seek it out in a theater at this point, if there are even theaters still open. And I am glad I got to see it in one. But I just feel bad for all the people who worked on it for so long with the expectation that it would play a normal theatrical run to see it get caught up in this mess. I can't imagine what that must be like.

 

[Thomas Newton]

Oh, absolutely. I would not encourage anyone to seek it out in a theater at this point, if there are even theaters still open. And I am glad I got to see it in one. But I just feel bad for all the people who worked on it for so long with the expectation that it would play a normal theatrical run to see it get caught up in this mess. I can't imagine what that must be like.

Disney should announce that it WILL get a normal theatrical run after all of this coronavirus mess is over. That would be fair to the Pixar people who worked so hard on the film. It would be fair to those of us who appreciate quality animation. And there are usually any number of stinkers that could be booted out of theaters to make way for a delayed "Onward", if that was what it took to secure seats for a delayed showing.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Disney should announce that it WILL get a normal theatrical run after all of this coronavirus mess is over. That would be fair to the Pixar people who worked so hard on the film. It would be fair to those of us who appreciate quality animation. And there are usually any number of stinkers that could be booted out of theaters to make way for a delayed "Onward", if that was what it took to secure seats for a delayed showing.

"Normal theatrical run" meaning back on some screens or back on 4000+?

I can see they might put it back out on limited screens - like maybe 1000 - but it'd be insane for them to try to restart it like it's a true new release when it's already been available for home viewing...

 

[TravisR]

"Normal theatrical run" meaning back on some screens or back on 4000+?

I can see they might put it back out on limited screens - like maybe 1000 - but it'd be insane for them to try to restart it like it's a true new release when it's already been available for home viewing...

Yep. I wish they would put it back in theaters but once it's available for streaming and digital download, I think that ship has sailed.