Paramount Pictures' My Little Pony is the latest film slated to make its debut on a streaming service. According to Variety, the animated movie will forgo a theatrical release and instead premiere on Netflix.
No release date has been announced, but My Little Pony is expected to debut on Netflix later this year. The animated film, which is geared towards family audiences, was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on September 24, 2021. But with COVID-19 still running rampant across much of the world and the uncertainty surrounding theaters reopening -- along with concern over its impact on box office performance -- Entertainment One (Hasbro's entertainment studio) sold the film to Netflix.
Entertainment One still retains distribution rights for My Little Pony in China which has recovered quite well from the global pandemic. These days, it's not uncommon for a movie to release on a streaming service in the U.S. or Europe while releasing in theaters in China.
My Little Pony is, of course, based on Hasbro's popular equestrian-themed toy line that has spawned numerous television series and direct-to-TV movies. In 2017, Lionsgate released the feature-length animated musical film My Little Pony: The Movie, which was based on the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic animated television series (a 2010 relaunch of the franchise). It generated over $60 million globally on a $6.5 million budget.
Unfortunately, not much is known about Paramount's movie, except that it is also based on the Friendship is Magic series. It's directed by Emmy-nominated comedy writer Robb Cullen (Gary the Rat) and animation writer-director José Luis Ucha (Invizimals).