LOS ANGELES, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Horror flick "Halloween
Kills" will stream on Comcast Corp's Peacock streaming
service starting on the same day it debuts in movie theaters
next month, distributor Universal Pictures said in a statement
on Thursday.
The strategy is a shift from Comcast's earlier plan to send
the film exclusively to theaters beginning Oct. 15. Hollywood
studios have been experimenting with release strategies as
cinemas work to recover from COVID-19 closures and media
companies try to boost interest in their streaming offerings.
Cinema operators including AMC Entertainment,
Cineworld Plc and Cinemark Holdings Inc say the
streaming option eats in to their business and have urged
studios to stick with theater-only debuts.
"Halloween Kills" stars Jamie Lee Curtis in a follow-up to
the 2018 revival of the classic horror franchise.
The Delta variant of COVID-19 has slowed a hoped-for
comeback in moviegoing. Other films, including Tom Cruise's "Top
Gun: Maverick," have been delayed until next year.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles
Editing by Matthew Lewis)