A24's 'Zola' Is Coming To Streaming Sooner Than Expected

If you want to go on a mind-bending, wild, and crazy road trip without ever leaving the comfort of your house, then good news: Zola is coming to digital sooner than expected!

The A24 flick inspired by a viral Twitter thread will be available to rent on-demand starting Friday, July 23, only three weeks after its theatrical debut. It tells the story of A'Ziah "Zola" King after she meets a girl at a restaurant and agrees to go on a strip-dancing road trip to Florida with her and will be available on premium video-on-demand services like Amazon, iTunes, and FandangoNow, for $19.99 beginning on the 23rd.

It's pretty impressive that a Twitter thread ended up being a feature-length film, and Zola is as much of a wild ride as the original thread. Since we've all been trapped inside for over a year, some of us aren't entirely comfortable going out yet. Zola might be able to provide a bit of an escape and may even scare you out of wanting to ever go on a road trip again.

Director and co-writer Janicza Bravo worked carefully to translate King's tweets into something filmable after James Franco left the project and she took over writing/directing duties. She wanted to make sure the story was fiercely feminine and stayed true to its Black Twitter roots, finding authenticity even while stretching the truth a bit. King's 100+ tweet thread did embellish things, but Rolling Stone reporter David Kushner was able to confirm much of it by interviewing both King and several of the other people in her story. The wild tale starts with two young women going on a road trip to strip at some clubs in Florida and make a little extra cash, but it quickly devolves into a mess of drugs, violence, and attempted suicide. Actress Taylour Paige stars as the titular Zola, with Riley Keough as the seductive, mysterious woman she meets at Hooters.

New movies tend to play exclusively in theaters for at least 75 days before being made available on any streaming platform. That changed with the pandemic, and more production companies are making deals to get their features in front of as many eyes as possible. In Zola's case, viewers will still be able to catch the flick on the big screen if they want the full theatre experience, or they can view it in the comfort of their homes.

Zola opened in North American cinemas on June 30 and has collected $3.5 million at the box office so far, but the screening release could make those numbers rise.

Check out Zola in theaters nationwide or on your favorite VOD platform on July 23, 2021.