1:11 pm PST 1/14/2021
in
Pamela McClintock
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The acclaimed contestant for the Chloé Zhao award, starring Frances McDormand, is a success for Hulu.
Chloé Zhao Prize Candidate Nomadland will have a hybrid release in theaters and at sister company Hulu due to the ongoing pandemic and the widespread closure of theaters, Searchlight Pictures announced on Tuesday.
The film, starring Frances McDormand, will premiere on Disney’s proprietary streaming service and in US theaters on February 19 – its previously scheduled release date – after having an exclusive screening at selected Imax theaters starting on May 29. January.
The announcement is notable for the ever-evolving shift to streaming amid the COVID-19 crisis. Nomadland it is the first Searchlight 2021 title to confirm a hybrid launch as the awards season heats up, and it is a high profile acquisition for Hulu.
Nomadland won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and the Audience Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The views of the film, shot in five states in the American West, are part of IMAX’s digital media remastering process to bring clarity and audio accuracy to this modern road movie.
Searchlight Pictures will be released Nomadland internationally during spring, subject to closings, after a successful limited preview run that has just been completed in Australia and New Zealand.
Hulu, which has more than 38 million subscribers in the United States, acts as a sister brand to Disney +, geared towards families, and has become home to more adult dishes from Disney brands, including FX. Although the service originally created an audience as a destination for television programming, it recently began to increase its offerings of original and exclusive films. During the summer, the romantic comedy of Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti Palm Springs premiered on Hulu and some cinemas. The streamer also launched holiday com-rom Happiest Season and acquired the distribution rights for Paramount’s United States x Billie Holiday, scheduled for launch on February 26. In the future, the streamer may benefit from access to the Disney’s Searchlight pipeline.