How To Watch Strays At Home
It's not easy being an R-rated comedy in 2023. After enjoying some modest success with the horror-flavored "Cocaine Bear," Universal saw its "Dracula" spin-off "Renfield" flounder at the box office earlier this year. The studio's latest adult-oriented chucklefest, "Strays," didn't fare much better upon its theatrical release in August either. Opening to lukewarm responses (/Film's Barry Levitt was more upbeat on the film than other critics in his review, declaring it "a riotously funny movie that perfectly scratches the itch of a need for silly, stupid movies"), the raunchy dog-com has struggled to make a dent financially.
Another major factor working against "Strays" was timing. Since the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has continued to dig its heels in rather than address the existential crisis currently faced by the striking actors' and writers' guilds, that means the "Strays" cast has been unable to promote the film. That includes comedic superstars like Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, who lend their voices to the movie's misbehaving mutts and could've easily gotten more people to turn out for the film, had they been able to make the press rounds. Instead, it's been reported the lack of actor-driven publicity has cost recent releases as much as 15 percent of their box office potential — enough to, at the very least, help a comedy like "Strays" come closer to breaking even.
Then again, it's possible the film's release on Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) might just do the trick on its own, and we've got details on when and how you can watch it at home. Check 'em out below!
Strays wanders its way onto PVOD
"Strays" comes from director Josh Greenbaum, whose narrative feature directing debut, "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar," was also an off-beat, irreverent comedy that saw its box office prospects sabotaged by outside forces (in that case, the COVID-19 lockdowns). However, it went on to attract a sizable audience on the home media market on its way to becoming a bit of a cult title (as much as any film can become a cult hit in the age of streaming).
Could "Strays" follow suit and gain a new lease (make that leash) on life thanks to folks checking it out at home? We shall see, now that the film is available to buy or rent at the usual rates on PVOD at digital retailers like Vudu (where it's $19.99 to rent and $24.99 to purchase), prior to its eventual debut on Peacock. Universal has yet to announce whether the film will be getting a Blu-ray release, but it seems likely, seeing as the studio has been pretty consistent about making its movies available on physical media.
Joining Greenbaum behind the camera on "Strays" are writer Dan Perrault and producers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Erik Feig, Aditya Sood, and Louis Leterrier. Isla Fisher, Randall Park, Brett Gelman, and Will Forte help Ferrell and Foxx round out the film's cast.
Plucky pup Reggie (Ferrell) thought he and his owner Doug (Forte) were playing an innocent game of fetch. It isn't until he meets Bug (Foxx), a streetwise stray who says only suckers have owners, that Reggie realizes his miserable master intentionally abandoned him in the big city. With two more pooches (Fisher & Park) adding fuel to his furry fire, Reggie goes from cute to cunning as he and Bug concoct a crazy scheme to get back to Doug and give him a big bite between his legs. Revenge has never been this riotous, or this irreverent, as the hilariously absurd antics of these four furballs turn typical animal adventures totally upside down. Forget everything you know about "dog movie" drama because this is one journey home that's off its leash and over the top.