‘The Addams Family 2’ to Release in Theaters and VOD on the Same Day!!

MGM‘s animated sequel to the Addams Family franchise, The Addams Family 2, will now hit theaters and video-on-demand simultaneously. While the family film always had a theatrical release set for this year, the addition of VOD is undoubtedly a response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially given that the target demographic remains unvaccinated. The Addams Family 2 will now face direct competition from Sony‘s own animated monster romp, Hotel Transylvania 4, which was just bought by Amazon Prime Video in lieu of a theatrical release.

This is far from the last release change that will disrupt studios’ release plans. Aside from these two animated offerings, Sony has also shifted the release date for Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage, bumping it from a late September date to one in mid-October. Animated films particularly have seen plenty of disruption, with Disney opting to place Luca as a Disney+ exclusive earlier this year, and Sony selling animated titles such as The Mitchells vs. The Machines and Vivo to Netflix. Family entertainment in general has seen a variety of release strategies deployed this year, with Disney offering titles like Raya and the Last Dragon theatrically and through Disney+‘s Premier Access, while Dreamworks and Universal made The Boss Baby: Family Business available on Peacock (at no charge to subscribers) and in theaters.

The Addams Family 2 is based on the comic strip of the same same, later turned into an iconic gothic TV sitcom that follows an old wealthy aristocrat family in love with horror and the macabre, in a satirical look at the ideal American family. The movie sees the family, led by Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron), take a road trip vacation across America. Along the way, the family will meet wild relatives and other crazy characters that have become a staple of the franchise. Aside from Isaac and Theron, the film also stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, Bette Midler, and Snoop Dogg. New additions include Javon “Wanna” Walton (taking over the role of Pugsley Addams from Finn Wolfhard), Bill Hader, and Wallace Shawn. Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon are the directors for the sequel, with Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit and Ben Queen and Susanna Fogel penning the screenplay.