Friday’s Unhinged Premiere Will Be the First Wide-Release U.S. Film in Theaters Since March
Photos via Solstice Studios
Well, it’s taken roughly six months, but we’re finally here—a new film is headed to theaters in wide release this Friday. After countless titles were pushed back, or sold to streamers, and major movie theater chains all delayed their reopenings, Russell Crowe’s Unhinged will look to make some asterisk-enhanced history by opening on more than 2,000 screens on Aug. 21, 2020. Truly, this has been a year for bizarre precedents.
In any other year, it seems safe to say that Unhinged would probably come and go with very little fanfare. The film, directed by Derrick Borte, is the first offering from Solstice Studios, a company that was founded in 2018 with the goal of creating a handful of mid-budget comedies and thrillers each year. The goal was to exploit a segment of the traditional movie market that is largely being ignored by major studios chasing tentpole blockbusters and “shared universes” these days, but then COVID-19 came along and totally upended the plans of every studio, regardless of size.
“COVID has cost us six to nine months in our business plan,” said Solstice CEO Mark Gill to Variety. “It might end up costing us a year. But at least the creative community has re-engaged recently, and we’re starting to pitch projects to people. For a while there, it was not even worth it to make an offer. Everyone was ducking for cover.”