Disney to release ‘Nomadland’ in theaters and on Hulu simultaneously

Disney is set to experience a movie release available simultaneously in theaters and on one of its streaming services. The guinea pig movie? Nomadland, a modern drama with Frances McDormand (Fargo), David Strathairn (Lincoln) and three real nomads in the United States. As The Hollywood Reporter explains, the film – which is distributed by Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures – will debut in select IMAX theaters on January 29 before hitting mainstream theaters and on Hulu on February 19. It has already been a hit with critics, winning awards at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival last year.

The strategy should sound familiar. It’s the same that Warner Bros. adopted for all of its 2021 movie slate. The only difference, of course, is that Warner Bros. focuses its streaming efforts on HBO Max. It’s no surprise that Disney chose Hulu over Disney + for Nomadlandthe streaming version of. Both belong to the House of Mouse, but Hulu has a slightly more grown-up brand. According to Variety, Searchlight Pictures plans to release Nomadland internationally later in the will then be released internationally throughout the spring. It is not known if the film will be available to stream in markets where Hulu is currently not available.