Vin Diesel’s ‘Bloodshot’ To Be Digitally Released Early

Amid the closure of theatres around the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony will be releasing its Vin Diesel Bloodshot months early digitally.

The action pic from Sony’s Columbia Pictures will be available for digital purchase in the U.S. on March 24 for $19.99. International digital sales are expected to be solidified in the following days.

“Sony Pictures is firmly committed to theatrical exhibition and we support windowing,” Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman said Wednesday in a statement. “This is a unique and exceedingly rare circumstance where theaters have been required to close nationwide for the greater good and Bloodshot is abruptly unavailable in any medium. Audiences will now have the chance to own Bloodshot right away and see it at home, where we are all spending more time. We are confident that — like other businesses hit hard by the virus — movie theaters will bounce back strongly, and we will be there to support them.”

Bloodshot opened last Friday earning $9.2 million at 2,861 North American locations. It bowed in second place following Pixar’s Onward. The films opened during a weekend that saw the overall box-office fall to a 20-year low due to the pandemic.

Based on the Valiant Entertainment comic book, Bloodshot revolves around a marine killed in action. He is brought back to life by a tech corp with nanotechnology and comes back with superhuman powers. He is then manipulated to carrying out a series of assassinations. But, he soon discovers that the company has control over his mind.

Aside from Diesel, the cast includes Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell and Guy Pearce. The pic has a $45 million price tag. And it is co-financed by Sony, Bona Film Group and Cross Creek Pictures.

Sony’s announcement to move Bloodshot’s release early and digitally follows the move of fellow studios in the midst of the global situation. On Monday, NBC Universal announced that it would also be making the jump from theatrical to home entertainment according to THR . Universal pics including Emma, The Invisible Man, and The Hunt have all been made available digitally for 48-hour rental periods. These will be available as early as Friday for $19.99. In addition to that, Universal’s Trolls World Tour will also be made available digitally on the same day. It was originally due out on April 10.

Given the current global situation with the coronavirus pandemic, the nationwide shutdown of cinemas could continue for more than six weeks.