With social distancing so vitally important to keeping yourself, your family, and the rest of the people around you safe, it's not the smartest idea to go live our lives as we normally would, and that includes not partaking in some of my favorite hobbies like live concerts or going to the movie theater. Thankfully, the entertainment industry is working overtime to keep everyone from becoming too bored while stuck at home. In a surprise move, production companies like Warner Brothers, Sony, and Universal have decided to forego traditional release timelines and move several new movies to digital retailers early. This not only includes movies that had a planned digital release in a few weeks but also includes movies that have not even reached theaters yet!
The mix of movies being released early is pretty varied too, so there's something for your household whether it's just you and your significant other watching, a few kids, or the whole family. Now, it's important to be aware that some of these films are only available to rent at this time, and the rental price of $19.99 is quite a bit higher than we're used to seeing on digital rentals. Of course, when you consider how much movie tickets and concessions like popcorn and soda would cost you at a movie theater, digitally is likely a more affordable way to watch these films.
As always with iTunes rentals, you'll have 30 days to begin watching the film after making the purchase. Once you've started watching the movie, you'll have 48 hours to finish the film. After that point, it'll be removed from your account. For the films available for purchase, most are eligible for Movies Anywhere which means buying them at iTunes will also give you access to watch them on other digital retailers like Vudu and Google Play — as long as you're a Movies Anywhere member, that is. Luckily, it's free to join.
Don't let the recent string of DC film letdowns or the strange title keep you from checking out this film. It features some great action choreography, a pretty zany plot, and a group of kick-ass women who you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of.
In more surprising news, Disney announced that its newest film collaboration with Pixar will be coming to digital retailers months early. Onward only recently premiered in theaters on March 6, and if you're not willing to pay the small price of $19.99 to buy the film outright, you can wait until April 3 to catch the movie streaming on Disney+.
Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel, hit theaters just last weekend, though if you didn't get a chance to see it then, it's now available via iTunes and other digital retailers. The movie is intended to be the first in a series of films based on the iconic comic books, so don't skip out on seeing this one if you want future films to be made!
Disney+ members are in for a treat, as Frozen 2 has hit the streaming service three months before its planned release date! It's available to watch now with an active membership so you can catch up on the latest adventures of Anna, Elsa, and Olaf the snowman. The film is also available for purchase or rental via iTunes.
The end to Disney's latest Star Wars trilogy has arrived to digital retailers a few days early. Previously scheduled for release on March 17, the movie was made available on iTunes and other retailers beginning March 13 to combat at-home boredom.
Based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name, Emma was released to theaters on February 21 and has quite a high Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%. Now it's available digitally on iTunes to rent for $20.
Based on the classic novel The Invissible Man by H.G. Wells, this reboot of the 1930s film series stars The Handmaiden's Tale actress Elizabeth Moss as a woman who, after the apparent suicide of her husband, starts to believe he's stalking her and has become invisible. The film was released to theaters on February 28 and is already available to rent at iTunes.
This controversial film by producers Damon Lindelof and Jason Blum was originally scheduled for release last September and then pushed to March 13. If you didn't get a chance to catch it in theaters before quarantine, it's made its way to digital retailers just one week later. You can now rent the film at iTunes and see if it lives up to all the drama it sparked.
This film was initially perceived as a sure-to-be failure with the beloved character's design to blame, but after its re-design and now with movie theaters closed, it remains the #3 top-grossing film of 2020. And almost as fast as its titular character, the movie is speeding to digital retailers like iTunes for early release on March 31.
This is one all the kids have been waiting for, but sadly it's not available just yet. Trolls World Tour is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 10, though it'll be receiving a simultaneous digital release on that day so you can watch the film at home with your family and jam to all the new tunes by Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, and other celebs.
How to watch purchases from iTunes
Not accustomed to using iTunes? What you might not know is that now that the Apple TV app is around, you can watch any movies or shows you purchase on iTunes using it. The app is available on more than just iOS devices, so you can download it to an Amazon Fire TV Stick or a Roku Streaming Device, and those are just two of the most popular options. Most of the films above are also eligible for the Movies Anywhere service.
What is Movies Anywhere?
Movies Anywhere is a free service which lets you link all of the accounts you have at various digital retailers like iTunes, Vudu, and Google Play so that the movies you buy at one are synced to your connected libraries at each retailer. That way you can search for deals and buy from various retailers without feeling restricted to shopping at whichever store is available on the device you're currently using. There are some movies that don't work with Movies Anywhere, and this page lists them all if you're curious. For instance, Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM studios do not participate so their films are currently unavailable and will not sync to your linked accounts.
