As AMC again postpones its reopening, Bill & Ted sequel scraps exclusive August debut

The studio behind the next Bill & Ted movie has announced some news that theater chains may not find so excellent.

Bill & Ted Face the Music, which was previously set to receive a traditional theatrical release on Aug. 28, will now be released both in theaters and at home on the same day in September. The news came as a new trailer for the film debuted online.

This is yet another blow for movie theaters, as the big chains have always relied on being the exclusive place to watch a new movie for about three months before it's available at home and generally refused to show films that don't adhere to that schedule. The announcement was made on the same morning that AMC Theatres said it would be postponing its planned U.S. reopening date again after closing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

While most big films were delayed as theaters shuttered, some studios in recent months have chosen to release their movies at home instead, including Universal, which gave Trolls World Tour an on-demand release in April. Theaters have hoped this practice would not become the new normal after they're back in operations, and AMC even said it would ban all future Universal films after the CEO of NBCUniversal boasted about Trolls' digital performance and suggested on-demand releases like it could continue when theaters reopen.

Now, another new movie that was meant to be exclusive to theaters will be available to watch at home, this time after theater chains would have theoretically reopened. AMC as of Thursday is planning to reopen in "mid-to-late August," although as U.S. coronavirus cases spike, another delay may be inevitable. If AMC's theaters reopen by September, they presumably will not show Bill & Ted, since the chain requires an exclusive window.

The good news for consumers, though, is that everyone will be able to rock on with Bill and Ted from the comfort of their own homes on Sept. 1.