Bill and Ted will be facing the music on a new date and in a different venue.
The threequel to the popular 1980s comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Bill & Ted Face The Music, has had its August 21st theatrical release date pushed back to September 1, where it will become available on Video On Demand as well as any theaters that might actually be open.
The film sees Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reprise their roles as Theodore “Ted” Logan and William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. who are still trying to write the song that will unite the world that they were prophesied to write in the first two films.
A day and date simultaneous release for a title with as high a profile as Bill & Ted Face The Music has is normally a rarity. It usually only happens with smaller indie films that would only be playing a small number of theatrical screens around the country. But with a majority of movie screens dark due to social distancing concerns amid the current coronavirus pandemic, and with no clear indication as to when they could possibly reopen, a mixed release such as this is the best possible alternative. The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the film could go theatrical overseas as some other countries’ handling of the pandemic has gotten them to a place where theaters could be opened.
This move makes economic sense for a smaller budgeted film like Face The Music. It has a reported budget of $25 million, which puts its break even point at around $65 to 75 million. That should be a fairly achievable figure. Previously, studios have experimented with releasing some smaller budgeted films that were initially scheduled for a theatrical release directly to video such as Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island and Jon Stewart’s Irresistible.
