‘Firestarter’ To Have Same-Day Theatrical And Peacock Release
Universal will release Blumhouse Productions’ latest horror film Firestarter in theaters and on streaming service Peacock the same day. The adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel, which is directed by Keith Thomas (The Vigil) and written by Scott Teems (Halloween Kills), is hoped to bring more paid subscribers to the Peacock platform.
Firestarter follows Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a young girl with pyrokinetic powers, who must protect her family from the sinister forces that seek to control her. Zac Efron and Sydney Lemmon star as Charlie’s parents, who exhaustively work to shield her from the shadowy federal agency that wants to harness her power as a weapon of mass destruction. Charlie’s fiery abilities are triggered by anger or pain, and they become harder to control as she continues to grow. Once an incident reveals the family's hidden location, a mysterious operative (Michael Greyeyes) is sent to hunt down Charlie once and for all. Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, and Gloria Reuben are also set to star in the pic.
This will be Universal’s fourth theatrical release to go day-and-date on Peacock, after the animated The Boss Baby: Family Business, Blumhouse's Halloween Kills, and this weekend's romantic comedy Marry Me. According to Deadline, Peacock ended 2021 with 9 million paid subscribers. The allure of accessing upcoming releases the same day they hit theaters — similar to Warner Bros.’ release model with HBO Max — is expected to drive up the amount of new Peacock subscribers this year.
Here’s the film’s trailer:
You can catch Firestarter in theaters and streaming exclusively on Peacock beginning May 13.