The upcoming buddy comedy from Saturday Night Live’s Please Don’t Destroy comedy trio changes its release plan by moving from theaters to Peacock.
Saturday Night Live‘s Please Don’t Destroy movie announces a change to its release plan. After breaking out online, the comedy trio known as Please Don’t Destroy – which consists of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy – were hired as writers for Saturday Night Live season 47 and also tasked with creating digital shorts à la The Lonely Island. After creating several viral sensations such as “Three Sad Virgins” and “Rami Wants a Treat,” the trio received the opportunity to write and star in a buddy comedy movie produced by Judd Apatow and directed by SNL alum Paul Briganti.
Now, a change has been made to the Please Don’t Destroy movie’s release plan. As confirmed by THR and several other outlets, the currently untitled buddy comedy will no longer release in theaters and instead premiere exclusively on Peacock on November 17. The film follows three childhood friends (played by Marshall, Higgins, and Herlihy) who are unhappy with the trajectory of their lives and decide to embark on an adventure to locate lost treasure buried in a nearby mountain. However, they soon learn that finding the treasure is actually the easiest part of their adventure.
The Theatrical Landscape Remains Tough For Comedies
The decision to move the Please Don’t Destroy movie from theaters to Peacock is probably a wise one. Given the current theatrical landscape, which is dominated by franchise fare, it’s unlikely the standalone buddy comedy would have performed well anyway. In recent years, the only theatrical comedies that have done well at the box office are The Lost City and Ticket to Paradise, which were elevated by bankable stars like Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, respectively. The LGBT romantic comedy Bros bombed at the box office despite stellar reviews, and was also produced by Apatow.
Even with a star-studded cast that includes Conan O’Brien, SNL‘s Bowen Yang, and Meg Stalter, this probably wouldn’t have been enough to make the Please Don’t Destroy movie a box office success since it marks the trio’s first starring roles. The exclusive streaming release will be more profitable for the studio and also give the buddy comedy a better chance of success on Peacock, where other comedies like Jennifer Lopez’s Marry Me have done well. When the Please Don’t Destroy movie premieres on Peacock, the trio will likely be elevated to another level of fame after Saturday Night Live.
Source: THR
