U.S. cinemas closed on March 17, 2020, and eight films moved from theaters to living rooms within weeks: Frozen II, Trolls World Tour, Onward, The Hunt, The Way Back, Birds of Prey, Bloodshot and The Lovebirds. Two skipped a normal theatrical run entirely. The other six had already opened and went to digital rental or streaming early.
Updated October 11, 2026.
Deciding what to watch at home is most of what I write about, and I have followed the move from theater-first to streaming-first since it began. The spring 2020 releases on this list were the first real test of it. Looking back, the films that held up were the ones that worked on a living-room screen, not the ones built for a giant one.
Eight movies skipping the theater in March 2020
Universal moved first. On March 16, 2020, it said The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma would reach premium video on demand by March 20, at a suggested $19.99 each.
When the movies skipping the theater reached home
| Film | Studio | Theatrical run | Home release |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen II | Disney | Yes, 2019 | Disney+, March 15, 2020 |
| Trolls World Tour | Universal | Drive-ins only | Premium rental, April 10, 2020 |
| Onward | Disney and Pixar | Cut short | Digital March 20; Disney+ April 3, 2020 |
| The Hunt | Universal | Opened March 13, 2020 | Premium rental, March 20, 2020 |
| The Way Back | Warner Bros. | Cut short | Video on demand, March 24, 2020 |
| Birds of Prey | Warner Bros. | Cut short | Video on demand, March 24, 2020 |
| Bloodshot | Sony | Opened March 13, 2020 | Digital, March 24, 2020 |
| The Lovebirds | Paramount, sold to Netflix | None | Netflix, May 22, 2020 |
1. Frozen II went to Disney+ three months early
Frozen II had already played in theaters, so this was a streaming move rather than a cancelled release. Disney had planned its Disney+ debut for June 26, 2020. As lockdowns spread, the company moved it up to March 15, 2020, more than three months early.
2. Trolls World Tour skipped theaters and started a fight
Universal released the DreamWorks sequel straight to premium rental on April 10, 2020. A few U.S. drive-ins showed it, and that was its whole theatrical life. On April 28, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell told The Wall Street Journal it had brought in $100 million in revenue.
AMC answered the same day. The chain said it would stop showing Universal films at once. The standoff ended on July 28, 2020, when the two companies agreed that Universal could move a film to premium rental after at least 17 days in theaters, with AMC taking a share. That deal is the lasting result of this list.
3. Onward lost its theatrical run to the shutdown
Pixar’s fantasy about two elf brothers had been in theaters only a short time. Disney made it available to buy digitally on March 20, 2020. Then it reached Disney+ on April 3, 2020, as this list first reported it would.
4. The Hunt reached home rental one week after opening
Craig Zobel’s thriller was first set for September 27, 2019. After the Dayton and El Paso mass shootings that August, Universal suspended its marketing and pulled it from the schedule. It finally opened on March 13, 2020.
Theaters closed four days later. Universal put it on premium video on demand on March 20, 2020, in the same first wave as The Invisible Man and Emma. Its worldwide gross stopped at $12.4 million.
5. The Way Back went to rental within weeks
Ben Affleck plays a former high school basketball star turned coach in this Warner Bros. drama. On March 19, 2020, Warner said it would go to video on demand on March 24. The film was still new in theaters when the closures hit.
6. Birds of Prey came to video on demand early
Cathy Yan directed Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Rosie Perez in this DC film. It was already in theaters when the closures hit. On March 16, 2020, Warner Bros. announced it would reach video on demand early, on March 24.
7. Bloodshot went digital 11 days after opening
Vin Diesel stars in this Valiant Comics adaptation, directed by David S. F. Wilson. Sony released it on March 13, 2020. Five days later, Sony announced a digital release for March 24 in the U.S. and Canada.
Its final box office is murky. Wikipedia’s own figures for the worldwide total run from $37.1 million to $39.9 million.
8. The Lovebirds went to Netflix, but not on April 3
Paramount had set Michael Showalter’s comedy, starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, for April 3, 2020. When theaters closed, Paramount pulled it, and Netflix bought it in late March. This list originally said it would stream on April 3. In fact Netflix released it on May 22, 2020. It holds a 66% Rotten Tomatoes score.
What happened after movies started skipping the theater
The two delayed films named in the original version of this list both took years to settle. Mulan was due in theaters on March 27, 2020. In August 2020 Disney cancelled its North American theatrical release. Instead it premiered on Disney+ Premier Access on September 4, 2020, for $29.99 on top of a subscription. All Disney+ subscribers got it at no extra charge on December 4, 2020.
F9 held out for theaters. A March 2020 delay pushed it to April 2021, and it finally opened in the U.S. on June 25, 2021, a month after its May 19 premiere in South Korea. It grossed $726.2 million worldwide, which made the wait look sensible.
Warner Bros. went further than anyone. In December 2020 it said every 2021 release would arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day, for one month. For what was worth streaming in the years that followed, see these 2025 streaming picks and these Netflix picks from May 2020.
What movies went straight to streaming in 2020?
Why were movies skipping the theater in 2020?
Cinemas across the United States closed on March 17, 2020, under national limits on public gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Films that had just opened lost their audience overnight. Studios such as Universal, Warner Bros., Sony and Disney moved those titles to digital rental or streaming within days to recover some revenue.
Did movies skipping the theater make money?
Some did. Trolls World Tour, released to premium rental on April 10, 2020, had earned $100 million in revenue by April 28, according to NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell. Films pulled from theaters after a short run, such as The Hunt, ended with small totals. The Hunt’s worldwide gross was $12.4 million.
When did The Lovebirds come out on Netflix?
The Lovebirds premiered on Netflix on May 22, 2020. Paramount had planned a theatrical release for April 3, 2020, but pulled the comedy when cinemas closed. Netflix bought it in late March. Michael Showalter directed, and Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae star as a couple caught up in a murder.
How much did Mulan cost on Disney+?
Mulan premiered on Disney+ Premier Access on September 4, 2020, for $29.99 in the United States, on top of the regular subscription. Other countries paid about $26. On December 4, 2020, the film became available to every Disney+ subscriber at no extra cost. Niki Caro directed the live-action remake.