‘Hotel Transylvania 4’ Not Releasing In Theaters, To Head Straight To Amazon Prime: Report

The final “Hotel Transylvania” movie is bypassing a theatrical run and will instead head straight to a streaming service.

“Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” is going straight to Amazon Prime instead of releasing in cinemas this fall, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Monday.

Sony Pictures is said to be in the process of bringing the fourth installment in the CG-animated franchise to Amazon’s streaming service with a deal that’s expected to be valued at around $100 million.

“Hotel Transylvania” has been such a big hit for Sony Pictures with the first three installments grossing over $1.3 billion at the global box office. However, the uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the entertainment company to reassess its planned cinematic release for the film.

As a family pic, “Hotel Transylvania” has garnered big sales worldwide thanks to its appeal to young moviegoers. But with the recent surge in coronavirus cases due to the delta variant and the lack of vaccines for children under 12 years old, it’s understandable why Sony has chosen to explore an alternative release for the last installment in the franchise, according to Variety.

“Hotel Transylvania 4” was previously scheduled to open in theaters on Oct. 1. Lead star Selena Gomez, who voices Mavis in the films, proudly shared the trailer for the movie on Instagram earlier this year and teased its early October release.

But given the ongoing pandemic, Sony opted to scrap its planned cinematic release for the last “Hotel Transylvania” film. There had been speculations that the project could head to Netflix since the streaming giant already got Sony’s other animated offerings, “Vivo” and “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.”

However, Amazon made a stronger push to secure “Transformania” for its video-streaming platform as part of its efforts to bulk up its own animation catalog, as per Collider. There’s no word yet on when can fans expect the movie’s release on Amazon Video. Industry sources said the deal is actually in the early stages, but multiple news outlets are reporting that the animated film will indeed head straight to the streamer.

Spokespersons for Sony Pictures and Amazon refused to comment on the reports.

Aside from Gomez, “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” also stars Andy Samberg, Kathryn Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Keegan-Michael Key, David Spade and Fran Drescher. The film is directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska.