Greed will now release directly to digital platforms, new dates for Sony releases

A satirical British comedy about the excessive lifestyle of a fashion mogul will no longer be released in cinemas in the wake of coronavirus shutdowns.

A satirical comedy starring Steve Coogan will now bypass theatres and go straight to home entertainment release.

Greed, directed by Michael Winterbottom and co-starring Isla Fisher and Asa Butterfield, was due for release in Australia this month. It was pulled off the schedule along with scores of other movie releases in the wake of cinema closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But unlike other titles from its releasing studio, Sony, which has been redated, Greed will now go directly to digital platforms and DVD and Bluray, on July 7 for digital and July 15 in physical formats.

Greed was released in the UK earlier this year and tells the story of a fashion retail chief executive celebrating his birthday in Mykonos, an indictment of excess and high capitalism.

Greed is the first major title in Australia confirmed to now skip a cinematic release altogether. An indie thriller starring Elijah Wood, Come to Daddy, will also now go to digital release while Pixar movie Onward was released on digital platforms after a weekend of sneak previews in cinemas.

Greed will be released on digital platforms on July 7

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Earlier this week, Disney announced in the US that Artemis Fowl, starring Colin Farrell, will now go straight to streaming platform Disney+, but this has not been confirmed yet in Australia.

Many high-profile and big budget films that have been delayed have already been redated after losing their original release berths.

Among them is Maverick, the Tom Cruise Top Gun sequel which was due in cinemas mid-2020 and will now be out on Boxing Day in Australia.

Maverick will now compete with Peter Rabbit 2: Runaway, which Sony has redated to Boxing Day as well, three weeks earlier than the US release.

The other Sony films with new release dates are Venom 2 (October 1), Fatherhood (October 22), Escape Room 2 (January 21, 2021), Morbius (March 18, 2021) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (March 25, 2021).

Peter Rabbit 2 will now be releasing on Boxing Day

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Tom Hanks movie Greyhound and Mick Jagger starrer The Burnt Orange Heresy remain undated but still on the cinematic release schedule.

Many of the delayed films have yet to be reassigned a date in the schedule in Australia, including musical extravaganza In The Heights.

Some of the films that have new dates include No Time To Die, Fast & Furious 9 and Wonder Woman 1984.

Disney has given Black Widow a November release date, originally designated for fellow Marvel movie The Eternals, but that’s US-only for the time being. Local dates are still forthcoming.

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