‘Clifford: The Big Red Dog’ to Open Same Day in Theaters and on Paramount+ Nov. 10
After seeing good results from the simultaneous theatrical and Paramount+ day-and-date release of the family-friendly Paw Patrol: The Movie, ViacomCBS has decided to put Clifford: The Big Red Dog back on the fall calendar for a Wednesday, Nov. 10 release.
Like Paw Patrol, Clifford will see a dual release in theaters and on Paramount+ on the same day.
The decision was at least due in part to the pandemic, especially given concern for the safety of the young 6-to-11-year-old demographic that the movie is targeted toward. According to Deadline, it was also due in part to changing consumer behavior.
Sony moved Ghostbusters: Afterlife out of the Veterans Day timeframe, shifting it to a Nov. 19 release date. Opening the same weekend as Clifford, but geared toward a different audience is Focus Features’ Belfast.
During the summer, Paramount shifted Clifford out of its initial September 17 release date due to the Delta variant of COVID-19, moving it off of the 2021 release calendar entirely. According to Deadline, the movie’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival was also pulled.
ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish was very excited about day-and-date releases for family-friendly films during a conversation at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference earlier this week.
“We think that’s actually a very good model for kids and family films, again, particularly in this COVID-impacted time, because it gives consumes optionality to view the product where they feel the most comfortable, and we did a bunch of research on that,” he said. “The result of that move … was a film which did very well both theatrically and it was a significant driver for Paramount+, where it’s actually now one of the most-watched originals to date.”
Paw Patrol has generated $37.2 million in domestic theaters with a worldwide gross of $103.3 million. Bakish said that as a result, the company is very pleased with a day-and-date strategy for families.
Clifford the Big Red Dog
As Emily struggles to fit in at home and at school, she discovers a small red puppy who is destined to become her best friend. When Clifford magically undergoes one heck of a growth spurt, becomes a gigantic dog and attracts the attention of a genetics company, Emily and her Uncle Casey have to fight the forces of greed as they go on the run across New York City. Along the way, Clifford affects the lives of everyone around him and teaches Emily and her uncle the true meaning of acceptance and unconditional love.