Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic caused movie theaters to close for months, studios have experimented with ways to release their blockbuster films in atypical ways. Now,Universalwill be experimenting in a similar way withThe Boss Baby: Family Businessby releasing the film in theaters and on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, on the same day.
The firstBoss Babyfilm was a hit with family audiences upon its release in March 2017. The film thatstarred funnyman Alec Baldwinas a talking baby earned a total of $175 million at the domestic box office, spawning the successful Netflix series titledThe Boss Baby: Back in Businessshortly afterward. As it stands,The Boss Babyis one of Dreamworks Animation’s most recognized properties around the world.
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Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney and Warner Bros. have been releasing select films simultaneously in theaters and on streaming (Disney Plus and HBO Max, respectively) due to the slow pace of the theatrical market’s return to what it once was. Universal decided to sellTrolls: World Touras a premium VOD release early in the quarantine process and now NBCUniversal has decided on a simultaneous theater/streaming release forBoss Baby 2, hoping to utilizeFamily Businessto draw audiences to Peacock. This newsfollows the delay of theBoss Babysequelfrom August 10, 2025, to mid-September 2021. The news also follows Universal’s decision to removeThe Officefrom Netflix and instead make it available for streaming on Peacock. This marks the first time Universal has attempted a simultaneous release of this magnitude with the streaming platform.
Peacock has been quietly amassing a slew of upcoming series to bolster its catalog. Amystery series titledPoker Faceby Rian Johnsonis set to release on the platform, as is a brand new comedy series unitingThe Officestar Craig Robinson withBrooklyn Nine-Nineco-creator Dan Goor. Other buzzworthy titles on Peacock include their revival of the classic sitcomSaved by the Bellas well as the modest comedy hitA.P. Bio.
The decision to releaseFamily Businessday-and-date represents a disappointing trend for recent feature animation, as many major studios have foregone pure theatrical releases in favor of hybrid or straight-to-streaming releases for such titles. Sony Pictures Animation has slated three of their 2021 releases—Vivo,Wish Dragon, and the smash hitThe Mitchells vs. the Machines—for release on Netflix. Not only this, but Disney gaveRaya and the Last Dragona hybrid release and sidelined two of their original Pixar films,SoulandLuca(the latter due for release in June), by releasing them on Disney Plus for no additional charge. It is therefore upsetting that some of these films will not have a chance to be seen on the big screen by most audiences.
Thankfully, major studios haven’t given up on animation’s theatrical viability just yet. Sony Pictures will be releasingHotel Transylvania: Transformaniasolely in theaters this July, while Universal has launched a noticeable marketing campaign forSpirit: Untamed, which is due for release in theaters on June 4th. In addition to these theatrical releases, Disney has yet to announce a release plan for the upcoming filmEncanto, and it remains to be seen whether its release is hybrid or purely theatrical. And the surprise overperformance ofDemon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Trainwas likely hard not to notice. All of this evidence suggests that the financial viability of theatrical feature animation isn’t down for the count just yet.
The Boss Baby: Family Businesswill release on September 17th, 2021.
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