Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” stands among the most critically acclaimed films of the year. It recently won two Golden Globes, one for Best Director and one for Best Motion Picture (Drama), and is widely considered the frontrunner heading into the Oscars.
However, a longstanding problem for many has been the overall inability to access the film. Throughout the U.S., theatrical slots have been limited and, as of this writing, it is only available to stream via Hulu.
For those in Europe, “Nomadland” will now be even harder to screen. The film is ditching its European theatrical premiere and is instead heading straight to Disney+.
“Nomadland,” starring Francis McDormand in a Golden Globe-nominated performance, will be made available to all Disney+ subscribers in the U.K. and Ireland on April 30. Disney’s other European territories, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland, will similarly receive “Nomadland” on Star on April 30.
The film is expected to garner outsized interest on the streaming platform since–if using the U.K. as an example–theaters aren’t even open, and won’t be allowed to begin operating until May 17.
At that time, “Nomadland” will indeed be made available to exhibitors for theatrical screenings, however by that time it may not be financially prudent to do so.
