Nearly every industry is being impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic, including entertainment, which has halted production on virtually all projects and delayed the releases of high-profile movies such as Mulan and Black Widow. As movie theaters across the country close due to COVID-19 safety concerns, studios including Universal, Warner Bros., and Disney are making many new movies available for your streaming needs. Below, a roundup of the latest releases to hit streaming services early. Keep checking back for updates.
Valley Girl
An ’80s cult classic is getting a widespread digital release for the first time. Valley Girl, the 1983 rom-com starring Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman, is available for purchase nearly 40 years after its original theatrical debut. Stream it now before the remake, starring Alicia Silverstone and The Knight Before Christmas‘s Josh Whitehouse, is released on May 8.
Endings, Beginnings
This romantic drama from Like Crazy director Drake Doremus follows a love triangle between Shailene Woodley and a pair of best friends (Sebastian Stan and Jamie Dornan). Originally meant for theatrical release on May 1, you can purchase it now.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
This essential indie drama, released in theaters March 13, follows a teenage girl in rural Pennsylvania who crosses state lines to procure an abortion.
Onward
The latest from Pixar follows two elf brothers (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) as they search for adventure on a mystical road trip. Originally released on March 6, it’s available as an on-demand rental and hit Disney+ on April 3.
Bad Boys for Life
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reunited after 17 years for a follow-up to their Bad Boys franchise. Now you can watch the longtime detective partners solve crime from the comfort of your own couch.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Based on the popular video game franchise, Sonic hits the big screen to fight the evil Dr. Robotnik, played by a CGI scenery-chewing Jim Carrey. It gets an early digital release just a month after its Valentine’s Day premiere date.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
This French romance explores the forbidden relationship between Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), who has just left the convent to get married, and Marianne (Noémie Merlant), the artist tasked with painting a wedding portrait of her—without Héloïse ever knowing. The film is available to stream on Hulu now and makes its way to VOD in April.
Downhill
Based on the 2014 Swedish dramedy Force Majeure, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell play a married couple whose family ski vacation in the Alps—and relationship—is tested after they escape an avalanche.
Inside the Rain
This romantic indie, based on writer-director-star Aaron Fisher’s experiences with bipolar disorder, follows college film student Benjamin Glass as he struggles with balancing his mental health and a new romance with sex worker and filmmaker, Emma (Ellen Toland).
The Call of the Wild
Harrison Ford leads this family film, which tracks the adventures of a sled dog named Buck as he travels from his home in California to the Alaskan Yukon.
Resistance
This WWII-era film stars Jesse Eisenberg as aspiring Jewish performer Marcel Mangel, who works with the French Resistance to save thousands of orphans from the Nazis.
I Still Believe
Riverdale‘s K.J. Apa stars as Christian music star Jeremy Camp in this faith-based biopic, available now on Amazon.
The Invisible Man
Elizabeth Moss plays a woman haunted by an abusive ex everyone else believes to be dead in this psychological thriller, which hit theaters February 28.
Just Mercy
Michael B. Jordan plays a civil rights defense attorney fighting to free a wrongly-convicted death row inmate (Jamie Foxx) in this drama based on true events. We named Rob Morgan one of the 10 best performances of 2019 for his role as Herbert Richardson.
Birds of Prey
Originally in theaters on February 7, the latest DC Comics installment sees Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) put together a ragtag squad of superheroines (Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Jurnee Smollett-Bell) to take down Ewan McGregor’s Black Mask. It’s available to stream and buy now.
The Way Back
Craving a good old-fashioned sports drama? Ben Affleck stars as an alcoholic former star athlete who starts coaching the promising basketball team at his alma mater.
Bloodshot
Vin Diesel’s latest action movie opened just one week before major theaters closed around the country, and now it’s available to stream. Come for Diesel’s superhero, stay for the co-starring performance from Outlander‘s Sam Heughan.
Emma
Anya Taylor-Jay plays titular 19th-century matchmaker Emma Woodhouse in the latest iteration of this Jane Austen classic, which premiered in theaters February 21. Plus, read an interview with director Autumn de Wilde.
The Hunt
The controversial horror film, which stars Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, and Emma Roberts, follows a group of “deplorables” hunted for sport. Originally meant for release in September 2019 but pulled in the wake of several mass shootings, the film hit theaters on March 13 and is available to stream now.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
The final installment of the latest Star Wars trilogy got an early digital bow after its December release.
Frozen 2
Disney announced the animated sequel would hit Disney+ on March 15, a full three months earlier than scheduled. It’s also available for your Skype sing-alongs as a rental or purchase on Amazon and iTunes.
This post will be updated.