It’s looking like Halloween Kills will bring Michael Myers to both the big and small screens in October. Set for a release in theaters on Oct. 15, the slasher sequel was originally scheduled for an October 2020 premiere before it was pushed back for a year due to the pandemic. Amid continued safety concerns, the decision has been made to give Halloween Kills a day-and-date release, and it will now be available on Peacock on the same day for no extra fee.
The idea to push back Halloween Kills to 2021 was an attempt to preserve the theatrical experience. Giving the movie a day-and-date release will still give people that choice while providing the option of watching the sequel at home. Perhaps most fans could agree that going this route is still better than giving the movie another delay, considering the year fans have already waited for the movie. And we still have Halloween Ends next year.
David Gordon Green returns to direct Halloween Kills using a screenplay co-written with Danny McBride and Scott Teems. Jamie Lee Curtis is also back in the lead as Laurie Strode, the lifelong nemesis to Michael Myers. Judy Greer and Andi Matichak also return as Laurie’s daughter Karen and granddaughter Allyson. James Jude Courtney is back as Michael though original actor Nick Castle will also make an appearance under the mask.
Castle is one of many actors from the first Halloween movie to appear in Halloween Kills. Other returning cast members include Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace, Nancy Stephens as Marion Chambers, Robert Longstreet as Lonnie Elam, and Charles Cyphers as Leigh Brackett. Anthony Michael Hall plays an older version of Tommy Doyle, who was played by Brian Andrews in the original movie and Paul Rudd in the sixth. John Carpenter, who directed the original movie, says Halloween Kills is like the ultimate slasher movie on steroids.
The official logline reads: “Minutes after Laurie Strode, her daughter Karen and granddaughter Allyson left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie’s basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie’s trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael’s first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all.”
Universal previously tested the waters with the day-and-date strategy on Peacock. Earlier this summer, the studio premiered The Boss Baby: Family Business both in theaters and on the streaming service for 60 days. The movie grossed more than $105 million at the box office, and given the pandemic, that was well short of the haul pulled in by its predecessor in 2017. NBCUniversal hasn’t divulged viewership numbers for the movie on Peacock.
Halloween Kills will premiere in theaters on Oct. 15. That same day, it will also begin streaming on Peacock at no extra cost. Launching in 2020, the NBCUniversal-owned streamer runs $9.99 per month with ads and $4.99 per month for its ad-supported tier. This news comes to us from Variety.