Chris Pratt’s ‘The Tomorrow War’ Sci-Fi Movie Shopped To Streamers By Skydance; Amazon Eyeing For $200M – Update
UPDATE 6:05 PM after earlier exclusive: As we previously told you, Skydance was bound to unload The Tomorrow War. Tonight, Amazon has aggressively offered $200M. The deal is still not done. Amazon recently bought Paramount’s Coming 2 America for $125M, which was set to debut during the year-end holiday corridor, and Skydance’s Without Remorse which was also set to get a theatrical release via Paramount this past autumn.
EXCLUSIVE, 11:01AM: We hear that the Paramount/Skydance Chris Pratt movie The Tomorrow War was recently screened to the major streamers over the weekend. It played really well, I hear, and that there is a strong interest for the movie. Skydance, I understand, is leading the process in selling the movie here, not Paramount.
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The sci-fi film, which Pratt is also an EP on, follows a man who is drafted to fight in a future war where the fate of humanity relies on his ability to confront his past. Written by Zach Dean, The Tomorrow War is original IP and to have a streamer launch it, especially as exhibition returns with strong-branded fare later in the year, could make sense as the best course of action. If it was a normal marketplace, The Tomorrow War, which tested very well, would stick to a theatrical plan. The pic was originally scheduled to be a Christmas tentpole and currently has a theatrical date of July 23, 2021.
While Paramount has seen a number of its movies on its slate head to streamers; much of this has to do with film financiers making bank on event features they’ve invested in, and the theatrical window during the pandemic isn’t providing any upside with 60% of all U.S. and Canadian theaters closed. I.E. recently Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman 1984 opened to $16.7M over Christmas weekend and nosedived to 67% in its second weekend, and another 45% in weekend 3 due to a number of factors: lackluster audience response to the sequel, fear of heading to the movies during the pandemic, several DMAs closed, and also the pic is available on WarnerMedia’s new streaming service HBO Max.
Skydance recently sold Without Remorse to Amazon, and its upcoming animated pics, Spellbound and Luck, to Apple. Both were at Paramount.
Skydance and Paramount provided no comment when reached.
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