Trolls World Tour may very well usher in a new era of digital releases.

As terrible as the current pandemic is, it did open up some legitimate experiment opportunities for studios. For years, they’ve been waffling on changing up their strategies. The possibilities have been there for years. But that hasn’t stopped them from relying on theaters as the method for releasing blockbusters movies. In fact, even amid the pandemic, many studios are reticent to actually make any meaningful changes. Warner Bros. recently doubled down on their commitment to theatrical releases. When all said and done, Universal was the only one to take a meaningful step toward the future.

The studios released Trolls World Tour, a sequel to the 2016 film Trolls, on VOD. The risks were certainly there. While many other studios would simply delay the film, they embraced the new strategy, no doubt investing in the experiment for the future. So how did it go for them? Pretty darn well, actually, if we’re to believe a new report from The Wall Street Journal. 

According to the outlet, Trolls World Tour has boasted nearly five million rentals. This means that its digital release has generated more revenue for Universal than Trolls did in its five-month theatrical run. 

But how much revenue has the studio grossed? According to TheWrap, the film took in $77 million in revenue. The original Trolls featured a budget of around $125 million and ultimately made $346.9 million worldwide. Taking into account the higher theater cut, it’s easy to see how the $90-million-budgeted Trolls World Tour has done better for the studio. It may not have done better in terms of raw figures, but in terms of actual dollars, it was a success.

RELATED – Could Trolls World Tour’s Performance Pave The Way For More Big On-Demand Releases?

“The results for ‘Trolls World Tour’ have exceeded our expectations and demonstrated the viability of PVOD,” NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell told the Wall Street Journal. “As soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats.”

One thing to keep in mind is that this could potentially leave a dent in their home releases. With audiences having a chance to see a film as many times as they can in a 48-hour window, they may have already had their film. Perhaps they won’t want to own it. But this isn’t enough to make Universal anxious about going forward. If anything, this performance has proven that digital could be the way to go, and could lead to them embracing it over theatrical releases down the line.

What do you think of this potential new world we may be going into? Is Universal foolish to be jumping into this new strategy, or should other studios be following suit? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: TheWrap, The Wall Street Journal