Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders ranks in our developing list of the best movies of the year, so we’d love to tell you to go check it out on the big screen. But that opportunity has narrowed, as it is now clear that The Bikeriders will be hitting VOD on July 9th – that’s 18 days after it debuted in theaters!

It’s a bit disappointing that the chance to see The Bikeriders at the cinema is dwindling, but certainly more so that Focus Features won’t give it the chance to breathe there. While nobody expected it to be a box office juggernaut, that it is already being written off by the studio is a tremendous insult to not just the filmmakers but the whole concept of moviegoing. To date – that is, barely over a week – The Bikeriders has made around $14 million on a budget pegged upwards of $40 million. As such, Focus will redirect to streaming, where they might be able to recoup some expenses via that route.

But The Bikeriders’ trip to VOD isn’t a surprise whatsoever, as this is just the newest approach to how studios are treating even those movies that were poised to be big moneymakers. Take Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which just barely matched its budget at the box office; eleven days after its release, it was already on VOD. The Fall Guy had a similar fate, crashing to VOD less than three weeks after its own debut

Yes, The Bikeriders coming to VOD in that tight of a window is a drag for those who wanted to see it at the theater. But hopefully now it can find an even bigger audience and establish the fanbase it missed.

The Bikeriders “captures a rebellious time in America when the culture and people were changing. After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy (Jodie Comer) is inextricably drawn to Benny (Austin Butler), the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals led by the enigmatic Johnny (Tom Hardy). Much like the country around it, the club begins to evolve, transforming from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.”

If you didn’t get a chance to see The Bikeriders in theaters, will you catch it on VOD?

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