Universal’s “Trolls World Tour” will launch on Rakuten TV across Europe on April 6, days ahead of the studio’s planned VOD launch in the U.S.
The sequel to the 2016 DreamWorks Animation hit, which was among the first features announced to receive the VOD treatment in light of theatrical shutdowns, will be available to rent on the streamer for £15.99 ($19.65) over a 48-hour period.
The studio revealed mid-March that “Trolls World Tour” would be available in the U.S. on VOD on April 10 — one of the first experiments by a studio to disrupt theatrical release plans in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the knock-on effects felt acutely by cinemas around the world.
At that point, Universal also made a number of films that were then in theaters, such as “Emma,” “The Invisible Man” and “The Hunt,” available on demand. The latter films previously rolled out on Rakuten TV on March 20.
“Trolls World Tour” will launch on Rakuten TV in the U.K., Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Ireland, with potential for more countries to follow in the coming weeks, according to the company.
Japanese streaming platform Rakuten TV is headquartered in Barcelona, and is available in 42 countries. The business started out as a strictly TVOD offering, but has since expanded into AVOD as well.