About

Trolls World Tour is an American animated film and the sequel to the 2016 film Trolls. Scheduled to debut during the coronavirus, Universal canceled the film's theatrical run, choosing to release the movie on video on demand. The decision created a dispute between Universal Pictures and AMC theaters, who said they would no longer show Universal films as a result.

History

On February 27th, 2017, Universal Pictures and Dreamworks announced the sequel to their 2016 film Trolls.^[1]

Two years later, on June 20th, 2019, the DreamworksTV by Peacock Kids YouTube channel posted the trailer for the film (shown below). Within one year, the video received more than 24 million views.

Reception

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes ^[6] rated the film 69% fresh (based on 136 reviews). In their "Critics Consensus," they wrote, "A fun follow-up for fans of the original, Trolls World Tour offers a second helping of colorful animation, infectious energy, and sing-along songs."

Release and Dispute With AMC

The release of Troll World Tour underwent several changes, from February to April to December and back to April. Universal blamed the scheduling on the coronavirus outbreak, which delayed the release of several movies. Ultimately, the studio opted to release the film on video on demand.

On April 28th, 2020, Deadline^[5] reported that AMC theaters, one of the world's biggest movie chains, would no longer license Universal films. In a letter from AMC head Adam Aron to Universal Studios chairman Donna Langley, Aron wrote:

Universal stated it only pursued a direct-to-home entertainment release for “Trolls World Tour” because theaters were closed and Universal was committed to a lucrative toy licensing deal. We had our doubts that this was wholly Universal’s motivations, as it has been a longstanding desire by Universal to go to the home day and date. Nonetheless, we accepted this action as an exception to our longstanding business practices in these unprecedented times.

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Jeff Shell is quoted as saying that:

“The results for ‘Trolls World Tour’ have exceeded our expectations and demonstrated the viability of PVOD,” Mr. Shell said. “As soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats.”

This radical change by Universal to the business model that currently exists between our two companies represents nothing but downside for us and is categorically unacceptable to AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest collection of movie theatres.

Going forward, AMC will not license any Universal movies in any of our 1,000 theatres globally on these terms.

[…]

It is disappointing to us, but Jeff’s comments as to Universal’s unilateral actions and intentions have left us with no choice. Therefore, effectively immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of our theatres in the United States, Europe or the Middle East.

Online Reaction

McElroy Brothers Campaign

The following month, podcasters the McElroy brothers began a campaign to have them cast in the film. On March 27th, 2017, they released the podcast "The McElroy Brothers Will Be In Trolls 2: Chapter 1.^[2]

The plan was ultimately successful and the trio was cast as multiple characters in the film.^[3]

On March 7th, 2020, Redditor ^[4] Condor36 posted a Vince McMahon Reaction in the McElroy-related subreddit /r/MBMBAM. The post recieved more than 1,900 likes in less than two months (shown below).

Red Velvet's Involvement

Several fans of the series, in addition to excitement over the McElroy's involvement, expressed joy over the inclusion of the K-Pop group Red Velvet. On February 20th, 2020, Redditor^[7] CronoDroid posted character posters that feature members of the group (shown below). The post received more than 980 points (96% upvoted) in less than three months.

Search Interest

External References