One of YouTube’s upcoming original productions is now expected to be released in theaters. The movie in question is “Vulture Club” and sees Susan Sarandon taking up the leading role as a hospital emergency room nurse and mother of a journalist captured by terrorists. Others reportedly signed up to the production include Matt Bomer, Edie Falco, and Julian Morris, with Maryam Keshavarz directing. While the details of the plot and those starring in the movie have been confirmed, a release date has not as of yet. Although Vulture Club is expected to arrive in theaters before the end of 2018 as it is understood the project is now in a post-production stage following completion of its principal photography.
It would seem as though this move represents the next major step in YouTube’s ever-growing ambition for its own original content and is already drawing parallels to the ambitions now being realized by the likes of Amazon and Netflix – who have both been gaining significant traction of late with their own original content. For example, Amazon was a multi-Oscar winner in 2017 (thanks to the likes of “Manchester by the Sea” and “The Salesman”) while Netflix picked up its own Oscar in 2018 for “Icarus.” A theatrical release of Vulture Club potentially could open the door for the same sort of accolade for YouTube at next year’s event, at the very least a 2018 release would mean it is eligible for selection.
According to the details, regardless of when Vulture Club is released in movie theaters, and how well it does, it is expected that following its theatrical debut it will be made available first through the company’s Red service. This is another example of YouTube’s recent push into paid-for original content as YouTube Red is a $10 a month streaming service which comes with access to a number of the company’s original programming, as well as an ad-free YouTube experience in general. This is in addition to other and newer TV and movie-related products offered by the video-sharing service, such as YouTube TV – which provides subscribers with access to a competitive selection of TV network for $40 per month.