Mark Wahlberg Flick 'Infinite' Shifted From Theaters To Paramount+ Premiere

ViacomCBS VIAC is ratcheting up plans for its Paramount+ by diverting the Mark Wahlberg film “Infinite” from theatrical to streaming release and planning to present one new feature film per week over the service beginning in 2022.

What Happened: “Infinite,” directed by Antoine Fuqua from D. Eric Maikranz’s science-fiction novel "The Reincarnationist Papers," was filmed in the autumn 2019 and was scheduled for an August 2020 release before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the studio's theatrical slate.

ViacomCBS’s Paramount subsidiary put the film on its 2021 calendar for a Sept. 24 premiere before the parent company canceled the U.S. theatrical opening and shifted it to Paramount+.

According to Hollywood Reporter coverage, ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish insisted the streaming premiere will “create a lot of noise — I have seen the film, it’s a fun film. People love Mark Wahlberg.”

Related Link: The State Of Streaming In 2021: A Fight For Content And Eyeballs

What Else Happened: Bakish also announced the new films “Paranormal Activity” and “The In Between” will bypass theaters and premiere on Paramount+ before the end of the year.

Bakish promised that the new emphasis on Paramount+ was a “preview to a substantial ramping up of original movies next year, when we expect to begin averaging an original movie a week in 2022.”

But the company is not completely avoiding theaters. “A Quiet Place Part II” will have a theatrical-only premiere over the Memorial Day weekend and will not be on Paramount+ until 45 days after its opening. Other Paramount films being readied for the big screen include “Snake Eyes," July 23; “Paw Patrol," Aug. 20; “Jackass," Oct. 22; “Clifford the Big Red Dog," Nov. 5 and “Top Gun: Maverick," Nov. 19.

During the earnings call, Bakish said ViacomCBS added 6 million global streaming subscribers during the first quarter. ViacomCBS reported its total streaming revenue in the quarter was up 65% to $816 million — in addition to Paramount+, the company also offers Showtime OTT service, BET+ and Pluto TV.

(Photo of Mark Wahlberg by Tristan Reville/Flickr Creative Commons. Photos from "Infinite" have yet to be released.)