Andrew Patterson’s ‘The Vast of Night’ Now Available to Stream on Amazon Prime Video
Andrew Patterson’s directorial debut film “The Vast of Night” is the latest film to go digital early. After debuting in mostly drive-in theaters on May 15, the film is officially available to stream on Amazon Prime Video today, merely 14 days later.
Set in the ’50s, right at the beginning of the space race, the film “follows a young switchboard operator and a radio DJ as they uncover a strange frequency that turns their small town — and the future — upside down,” according to Deadline.
“The Vast of Night” was written by James Montague and Craig W. Sanger and stars Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Bruce Davis and Gail Cronauer. The film made it first public debut on festival circuit last year. It debuted at Slamdance, where it won the Best Narrative Feature prize, and went on to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest and more.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused studios to either limit or skip theatrical runs entirely. The move has caused quite the stir within the industry, leaving studio heads to wonder if the 90-day mandated theatrical run is necessary in the streaming age at all. One of the biggest films to debut on a digital platform, “Trolls Word Tour,” caused a rift between NBCUniversal’s CEO Jeff Shell and AMC Theatres execs.
Following its blockbuster premiere on FandangoNOW back in April, Shell publicly declared once theaters reopen, NBCUniversal will release films both digitally and in brick-and-mortar theaters.
The announcement didn’t go over well with AMC execs who then opted out of screening any of Universal’s films, effective immediately.
Other studio films such as “Birds of Prey” “Onward” “The Hunt,” “Emma” and “The Invisible Man” have all gotten an early VOD releases.