'Run', The New Film From The Director Of 'Searching', Dashes To Hulu From Lionsgate

Run, the new thriller starring Sarah Paulson, is the latest theatrical film to forgo a theatrical release here in the era of coronavirus. The film, which hails from Searching director Aneesh Chaganty, was supposed to open in theaters in May but was pulled due to widespread theatrical closures. Now, Run is bypassing movie theaters entirely and headed to Hulu.

Run (not to be confused with the recently-canceled HBO series Run) was originally set to open in January of this year but got bumped to May 8, 2020, coinciding with Mother's Day weekend. Unfortunately, the coronavirus made that May 8 date impossible, and Run was pulled off the release calendar entirely. Now, Hulu has acquired the domestic rights to the movie from Lionsgate, which means it'll be heading directly to the streaming service at some point. The film will still be released theatrically in select international markets.

You can expect this approach – going straight to digital/streaming in the US while opening in theaters overseas – to become more prevalent. Recently, Disney shocked virtually everyone by announcing that Mulan would go to Disney+ in the states while opening in theaters internationally. Meanwhile, Antebellum, another Lionsgate movie, was recently revealed to be headed straight to VOD next month (though it will also be released theatrically in international markets).

Other countries have done a fairly good job of tamping down the coronavirus and flattening the curve. Meanwhile, here in America, we continue to blindly stumble forward with absolutely no plan (unless you consider "send kids back to school" a plan). Studios are faced with a choice of either delaying everything indefinitely, pushing everything to digital, or, pushing movies right to digital in the US while opening them theatrically elsewhere. That third option appears to be the one most studios are comfortable with for the time being.

In Run, "They say you can never escape a mother's love... but for Chloe, that's not a comfort — it's a threat. There's something unnatural, even sinister about the relationship between Chloe (newcomer Kiera Allen) and her mom, Diane (Sarah Paulson). Diane has raised her daughter in total isolation, controlling every move she's made since birth, and there are secrets that Chloe's only beginning to grasp. From the visionary writers, producers and director of the breakout film Searching, comes a suspense thriller that shows that when mom gets a little too close, you need to RUN."

I thought Searching was pretty damn great, and I'm always up for some unhinged Sarah Paulson, so I'm definitely interested in checking this out. Hulu has yet to announce a premiere date, but I'm guessing it'll be sometime soon.

"We're super excited audiences will get to stream Run on Hulu, a platform that's really committed to giving the movie the same, big splash that was always intended for it," said director Aneesh Chaganty. "Plus, the film is about a girl who's been quarantined at home her whole life; watching it the same way should be a fitting experience in 2020."