‘Scoob!’ Gets Combined Theatrical, VOD Release for International Markets

“Scoob!” will be hitting theaters in some overseas markets despite skipping the North American box office in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Warner Bros. has confirmed the film will enjoy a combined theatrical release and premium VOD outing internationally — a strategy that was also recently employed by Universal, which plans to release controversial animated feature “Trolls World Tour” in U.K. theaters when they reopen.

The global theatrical release for “Scoob!” will begin on July 8 in France, Holland and Switzerland, with additional countries rolling out over the summer. In France, which opened cinemas on June 22, theaters sold between 850,000 and 900,000 admissions through Sunday — down 50% from an average week in June, but still an impressive turnout given the severity of France’s COVID-19 outbreak and the confidence among audiences to return to cinemas.

Meanwhile, “Scoob!” will be available via PVOD from Wednesday in Australia and New Zealand.

“Scoob!” — which finds Scooby Doo, Shaggy and the gang racing to stop a global “dogpocalypse” — had to bypass cinemas this spring due to the COVID-19 crisis and debuted as a PVOD offering in the U.S. and Canada on May 15. The film is also available in the U.S. on HBO Max.

“Our decision to release ‘Scoob!’ as an in-home offering in May came during an unprecedented time in history, and we are delighted by the success of the film and the way it was embraced by long-time fans of this iconic character, families and children,” said Ron Sanders, president of worldwide theatrical distribution and home entertainment and executive VP of international business operations for Warner Bros.

“Following its strong domestic debut, our international strategy will combine both theatrical and in-home releases to make it easily accessible to worldwide audiences.”

“Scoob!” is directed by Tony Cervone, Annie Award nominee for “Space Jam” and two-time Emmy nominee for “Duck Dodgers.”