Wes Anderson's 'Asteroid City' VOD Release Date Announced

In a surprise move by Universal, the studio announced on Monday that Wes Anderson’s latest, Asteroid City, is coming to digital platforms tomorrow, July 11—after just three weeks in theaters.

Though the movie will still be playing in theaters, viewers will also be able to buy or rent Asteroid City on digital platforms like Amazon’s Prime Video, iTunes, Vudu, and Google Play. The price may vary depending on the platform, the suggested price point is $19.99 to rent, and $24.99 to buy. And many movie experts are asking: Uh, why?

Asteroid City is a hyped-up, star-studded movie from an auteur director with a large and loyal fanbase. It wasn’t quite universally loved by critics, true, but others hailed it as Anderson’s best movie to date. The number of big-name actors worth listing—Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Steve Carell, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, just to name a few—were too plentiful to fit in just one screen in the trailer. I mean, this movie has a Scarlett Johansson nude scene in it, for crying out loud. If that’s not the sort of thing that gets people to theaters, I’m not sure what is.

And people were—and are—showing up to theaters for Asteroid City. No one expects a quirky Wes Anderson movie to do Mission Impossible numbers, but the opening weekend of Asteroid City actually set a box office record for a Focus Feature limited release, making it a smash hit for the indie film world. The movie has made over $38 million at the worldwide box office so far, earning back its estimated $25 million budget, and is on track to compare to Anderson’s films like The French Dispatch and Isle of Dogs. It’s probably not going to be his best-ever box office—that goes to The Grand Budapest Hotel, which made around $173 million—but the point is, it’s solid. It’s certainly not a bomb.

So what gives? Universal was one of the first studios to push the 45-day theatrical window after the COVID-19 pandemic, but Asteroid City didn’t even get that. Yet this isn’t the first time a solid box office performer has been pushed to digital earlier than expected. Last year’s Don’t Worry Darling came to digital after a month in theaters, and although the movie was shrouded in controversy, it was nearing a respectable $83 million at the world box office when Warner Bros. made the call to push it to digital.

In other words, it seems the major studios are testing new digital release strategies. No doubt Universal believes it can make even more money from the at-home rentals and purchases of Asteroid City. (Universal did not clarify how much the movie would cost to buy or rent in the press blast, but a rep for the home release told Decider the suggested price point for platforms is $19.99 to rent and $24.99 to buy.) And, in this case, those who want to see it on the big screen will still be able to do so, as Universal is also keeping the film in theaters.

Perhaps it’s smart to capitalize on the Asteroid City hype while it’s still fresh in cinephiles’ minds. Either way, Anderson fans who haven’t yet made it to the theater will be able to visit Asteroid City from the comfort of their couch tomorrow.