Gloria Steinem Biopic ‘The Glorias’ to Skip Theaters, Debut on Amazon Prime

Roadside Attractions is shifting Gloria Steinem biopic “The Glorias” from a theatrical launch to a streaming release on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 30.

“The Glorias,” which stars Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore, had been slotted for a Sept. 25 opening in theaters. But the distributor announced Tuesday that the film will stream on Prime Video in U.S. and Canada and be available for purchase on electronic sell-through platforms.

“The message of Gloria’s life and activism and spirit speak so strongly to the current moment, and we collectively decided to pivot from a theatrical release to this new, digital plan to give the film its widest audience, right away,” said Roadside co-presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff.

“The Glorias,” directed by Julie Taymor, debuted at Sundance in January. Vikander plays Steinem as a journalist in the 1960s and Moore portrays her as a key figure in the women’s liberation movement during the 1970s and beyond. Nine-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong plays her as a girl growing up in 1940s Ohio, and Lulu Wilson plays her as a teenager.

“The film is acted with great flair and emotional precision, and it’s been staged by Taymor with vividly detailed historical flavor,” said Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman in his Sundance review.

The film also stars Bette Midler as Bella Abzug, Janelle Monáe as Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Timothy Hutton as Leo Steinem and
Lorraine Toussaint as Florynce Kennedy. The screenplay was written by Taymor and Sarah Ruhl, based on Steinem’s autobiography “My Life on the Road.” The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.