With every major studio doing drastic changes to their release slate in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it was a matter of time before Paramount Pictures joined in either releasing their movies early on digital, or postponing their major releases. Turns out, the studio has decided not to release their latest comedy, “The Lovebirds” starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani in theaters, but the movie will go straight to Netflix.
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The news comes from Deadline, though they note that the deal between Paramount and Netflix has actually been in the works for an unknown period of time before the announcement was made. The movie was originally expected to open in theaters on April 3, but as theaters began shutting down due to the coronavirus, Paramount pulled it from its schedule, with a new streaming release date to be announced soon.
“The Lovebirds” is directed by Michael Showalter, who reunites with Nanjiani after the Oscar-nominated film “The Big Sick.” The comedy was supposed to premiere at SXSW, but the movie’s cast and director decided not to attend the festival shortly before the Austin festival became the first Hollywood fatality of the pandemic when it canceled all events, and follows a couple who experience a defining moment in their relationship when they find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery.
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Of course, this is not the first time Paramount has dropped its movies on Netflix, as they changed the international release of “Annihilation” to the streaming platform, as well as surprise-dropping “The Cloverfield Paradox” on Netflix after the Super Bowl in 2018.