The King of Zamunda will be making his way to Amazon Prime Video in spring of next year. Amazon has slated the premiere date for Coming 2 America for March 5, 2021. The sequel to the hit 1988 film was originally to hit theaters on Dec. 18, 2020 under Paramount Pictures. However, with the coronavirus pandemic not letting up, adjustments had to be made.
In October, news came out that Amazon Studios was purchasing Coming 2 America for a whopping $125 million. The acquisition would see the film skipping its theatrical bow and going straight to Amazon Prime Video.
“Coming to America was a cultural phenomenon that is one of the most loved and celebrated comedies of all time,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “Thanks to Eddie Murphy’s comedic genius along with the brilliant filmmakers, writers and fabulous cast, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this new adventure. We know audiences around the world will fall in love with this hilarious, joyful movie that will surely become a timeless favorite.”
The Coming 2 America sequel is the latest in a string of buzzworthy acquisitions by Amazon Studios. The company recently snagged the Borat sequel, as well as Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse starring Michael B. Jordan, and Regina King’s “One Night in Miami.” The latter is expected to be an Oscar contender.
With movie theaters closing left, right and center, Paramount had been looking for varying options for Coming 2 America. The studio recently sold Aaron Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7 and the action comedy Lovebirds, to Netflix and they were also the ones who sold Without Remorse to Amazon.
This follows a growing trend within the industry. As COVID-19 remains rampant, several studios have had to forego theatrical releases for PVOD instead. This week alone, WarnerMedia announced that their highly-anticipated blockbuster, Wonder Woman 1984 will be available on HBO Max as well as movie theaters on Christmas Day. The film will be available at no additional cost to HBO Max subscribers and will remain available in the U.S. for one month.
Also, according to Deadline, Disney is considering premiering Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Wendy as well as Cruella on Disney+ instead of movie theaters previously expected.