It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t love the adorable sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea, so it was obviously a real bummer when his newest flick, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, was delayed from its original release of February 9th, 2019 all the way to August 2nd, 2019. It was even more unfortunate when it was then delayed a staggering five more times, eventually landing on August 7th, 2020. Fans were already impatiently waiting to see their favorite Bikini Bottom characters in a new outing, but it didn’t take long for even more bad news to roll in, of course.
June came with the bombshell that Sponge on the Run wouldn’t be receiving a theatrical release and would be headed strictly to VOD services and shortly after, CBS All Access, at some point in early 2021. The new release schedule and lack of theatrical run came as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which has infected nearly 13.5 million people and resulted in the indefinite closure of almost every theater around the world.
Now, Variety reports that Netflix has acquired the rights to distribute the film internationally, which means even further bad news for subscribers in the US who will only have the option to see the movie via the aforementioned VOD services or CBS All Access. Other territories not receiving the film on Netflix, meanwhile, include China and Canada. Everywhere else, though, it’ll be available on the streaming site.
Despite the delays to its release, The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run is still shaping up to be a great time when it finally does arrive. Not only will it feature everyone’s favorite nice guy, Keanu Reeves, but it’ll also mark a nice deviation from the series’ traditional 2D animation style, opting instead for a fully CGI experience. So, here’s to hoping that no more release date changes plague this highly-anticipated flick.