'Scoob!' Skipping Theaters And Going Directly To Digital

While many major movies and studios are trying to wait out the coronavirus storm, others are cutting their losses. Like Scoob!, the new animated reboot of Scooby-Doo. Warner Bros. originally planned to open Scoob! in theaters on May 15, but obviously, theater shutdowns due to the coronavirus make that impossible. And rather than push Scoob! to a later theatrical date, the studio has instead decided to drop Scoob! directly on digital next month.

Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you? Oh, I see, you're going right to digital. The upcoming animated film will forgo trying to find itself a new theatrical release date, and instead head right to digital on May 15. You'll be able to rent the title for $19.99, or own it for $24.99.

"While we're all eager to be able to once again show our films in theaters, we're navigating new, unprecedented times which call for creative thinking and adaptability in how we distribute our content," Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff said in a statement (via Variety). "We know fans are eager to see 'Scoob' and we're delighted we can deliver this feel-good movie for families to enjoy while they're home together."

It's a little too early for there to be a pattern here, but if a pattern is forming, it seems that studios are more likely to drop family-friendly fare directly to digital rather than push it to a later date. Universal was the first to do this, deciding to release Trolls World Tour directly to digital. Disney soon followed suit, with plans to have Artemis Fowl go to Disney+. At the same time, Minions: The Rise of Gru, another family film from Universal, got pushed to a 2021 theatrical release. Still, it seems that family movies are far more likely to get the direct-to-digital treatment. Perhaps studios are realizing that there are plenty of families stuck at home right now, craving some form of entertainment. And rather than wait any longer, they're hoping to make some money, here and now.

Scoob! "reveals how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved and adventures shared, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global 'dogpocalypse,' the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined."