Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson’s Film ‘The High Note’ Going Straight to Video-On-Demand

Dave McNary
·2 min read

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“The High Note,” a romance drama starring Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson, will skip its planned run in theaters and instead debut May 29 on video-on-demand.

Focus Features, the specialty branch of Universal Pictures, is releasing the film, which was initially scheduled to open on May 8. “The High Note” will be available to rent for $19.99 for a 48-hour period on most on-demand platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Comcast and Fandango.

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“The High Note” is the latest in a growing line of titles that had been scheduled for theatrical release prior to the pandemic and are opting for VOD instead with theaters expected to remain closed until midsummer.

Universal Pictures previously sent “Trolls World Tour” and “The King of Staten Island” straight to digital release, sparking a war with AMC Theatres. After Universal’s CEO Jeff Shell announced the studio would release some movies simultaneously on-demand and in theaters, AMC Theatres declared the world’s largest cinema chain would no longer show Universal titles.

Other studios have experimented with digital rentals amid the unprecedented closure of movie theaters. Warner Bros. is releasing “Scoob,” a cartoon based on Scooby-Doo characters, directly on digital rental services next month, while Disney announced “Artemis Fowl” would launch exclusively on Disney Plus in June. Paramount opted take “Lovebirds” to Netflix and STX’s “My Spy” went to Amazon Prime.

“Late Night” filmmaker Nisha Ganatra directed “The High Note” from a screenplay by Flora Greeson. The movie is set in Los Angeles and follows a music superstar, played by Ross, and her overworked personal assistant, portrayed by Johnson.

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