The Way Back, the new movie where Ben Affleck plays an alcoholic basketball coach, is the latest recent film to break the theatrical window and head to digital early. With fears of the coronavirus causing theaters across the globe to shut down, several studios have taken the unprecedented steps to release their titles on digital early.
Warner Bros. released The Way Back into theaters March 3, and now it’s already headed to digital. The studio will make the Ben Affleck pic available to own in high definition and standard definition from select digital retailers, including Prime Video (U.S. only), Apple TV, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, DirecTV, FandangoNOW, PlayStation, Vudu, Microsoft Store on Xbox and Windows, and others for the suggested retail price of $19.99, starting March 24.
It’s the latest title to join an ever-growing list of early releases – a list that includes Onward, The Invisible Man, Trolls: World Tour, The Hunt, Just Mercy, Bloodshot, The Gentleman, and Warners’ own Birds of Prey, which will be available the same day as The Way Back.
“With audiences largely unable to view films in theatrical release under current circumstances, we have decided to provide the alternative of early digital ownership of our currently released titles to people looking for great entertainment options,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “So, while we remain big fans of the theatrical experience and hope audiences are able to return to cinemas in the near future, we understand that these are challenging times and offering this option simply makes sense.”
I haven’t seen The Way Back yet, but I wanted to – so I’m pretty happy that I’ll now have the chance. Still, it’s become clear that the movie release landscape has drastically changed in the last week, and things will likely never be the same again.
In The Way Back, “Jack Cunningham (Affleck) once had a life filled with promise. In high school, he was a basketball phenom with a full university scholarship, when suddenly, for reasons unknown, he walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Now years later, Jack is spiraling down, triggered by an unspeakable loss, and drowning in the alcoholism that cost him his marriage and any hope for a better life. When he is asked to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, which has fallen far since his glory days, he reluctantly accepts, surprising no one more than himself. As the boys start to come together as a team and win, Jack may have finally found a reason to confront the demons that have derailed him. But will it be enough to fill the void, heal the deep wounds of his past, and set him on the road to redemption?”
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