‘Nomadland’ to hit Hulu hybrid theaters in the US

13:11 PST 01/14/2021

by

Pamela mcclintock
,
Natalie Jarvey

Chloe Zhao’s award contender, starring Frances McDormand, is a massive hit for Hulu.

Chloé Zhao’s award candidate Nomadland will get a hybrid release in theaters and on sister company Hulu due to the ongoing pandemic and widespread theater closures, Searchlight Pictures announced Tuesday.

The film, starring Frances McDormand, will debut on the Disney-owned streaming service and in US theaters on February 19 – its previously scheduled release date – after being premiered in select Imax theaters from from January 29.

The announcement is notable in the ever-evolving shift to streaming amid the COVID-19 crisis. Nomadland is the first Searchlight 2021 title to confirm a hybrid release as the awards season heats up, and is a big hit for Hulu.

Nomadland won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The film’s panoramas, shot in five western states, are part of IMAX’s digital media re-mastering process to bring clarity and audio precision to this modern road movie.

Searchlight Pictures will be released Nomadland internationally throughout the spring, subject to closures, following a successful limited preview that just ended in Australia and New Zealand.

Hulu, which has more than 38 million subscribers in the United States, is the sister brand of family-owned Disney + and has become a hotbed for more adult rates from Disney brands, including FX. Although the service originally built an audience as a destination for TV programming, it has recently started to ramp up its original and exclusive movie offerings. Over the summer, the romantic comedy Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti Palm springs debuts on Hulu and in select theaters. The streamer also posted Holiday rom-com The happiest season and acquired the distribution rights from Paramount The United States vs. Billie Holiday, scheduled for February 26. Going forward, the streamer may benefit from access to Disney’s Searchlight pipeline.