The digital release date has now been revealed for Steven Soderbergh’s Presence
. Marking Soderbergh’s latest feature film following Magic Mike’s Last Dance in 2023, Presence chronicles one family’s encounters with a ghost in their new suburban home, with the entire film unfolding from the ghost’s point of view. Screenwriter David Koepp wrote the script for the movie, which stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, and Eddy Maday. Presence reviews were generally positive from critics, but the film was more divisive among general audiences when it released in theaters on January 19.
Now, Neon reveals that Presence will arrive on PVOD starting Tuesday, February 25. The film will be available to rent and purchase from all major digital retailers, including Apple, Google Play, and Fandango at Home, among others. Presence will then arrive on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K UHD on May 20.
What Presence’s Digital Release Date Means For The Movie
How The Steven Soderbergh Movie Performed In Theaters Explained
On Rotten Tomatoes, Presence has an impressive score of 88%, suggesting that the film proved generally popular with critics. In her review for ScreenRant, Patrice Witherspoon praises the Soderbergh movie for offering up a unique point of view, as well as for taking the time to develop a scary atmosphere instead of just relying on jump scares as so many modern horror movies do:
It’s a bleak vantage point — to be somewhere for a reason and not know what it is. This sense of important belonging brings an uneasiness to the atmosphere in a way that is more effective than if we’d gotten the family’s perspective. It eliminates the expectation there will be jump scares, since we’re already privy to the spirit’s existence. Instead, the anxiety-inducing moments come from the interactions of the characters with each other.
Audiences, however, proved a little less receptive to this approach. The Popcornmeter score is a lackluster 52% on Rotten Tomatoes, and many user reviews took issue with the film’s lack of scares. This more muted response from audiences is reflected in the movie’s box office. Presence grossed $9 million at the box office worldwide, comprising $6.9 million domestically and $2.1 million internationally. Considering the film was made on an estimated budget of only $2 million, however, this worldwide total actually makes the movie a box office success.
Our Take On Presence’s Digital Release Date
Why It’s Worth Watching At Home
Presence is a horror movie essentially unlike any other, and its unique storytelling point of view alone makes it worth a watch, but there are also some compelling performances from Liu, Liang, and the rest of the cast. Even though it might not be the scariest entry in the genre in recent years, the film proves that Soderbergh remains one of the most reliably entertaining directors working in Hollywood today, as well as one of the most prolific.
Presence is already a success financially, but the premise and the positive critics’ reviews could help it become a win on home-viewing platforms as well. With Soderbergh’s next movie, Black Bag, only weeks away from hitting theaters, now is the perfect time to check Presence out when it arrives on digital.
Source: Neon
