VARIETY – In a release plan fitting for a movie about a deadly pandemic that’s forced everyone into lockdown, STX’s sci-fi thriller “Songbird” won’t play in theaters and instead will debut on home entertainment.

Starting on Dec. 11, audiences can rent the film for $19.99 for a 48-hour period. STX said “Songbird” will land on a streaming service following its premium video-on-demand run, but the studio declined to disclose which one.

“The pandemic has affected every aspect of our business, from production to release, but ‘Songbird’ demonstrates that a nimble studio like STX can find effective and profitable ways to make their movies work,” said STXfilms Motion Picture Group chairman Adam Fogelson. “The show must go on. ‘Songbird’ is a thrilling movie that will speak to audiences in this moment as it keeps them on the edge of their seats.”

Produced by Michael Bay, “Songbird” was filmed entirely during the coronavirus crisis. It was the first movie to shoot in Los Angeles in the middle of the ongoing pandemic.

The film takes place years in the future, in which a mutated strand of coronavirus, called COVID-23, continues to wreak havoc on the world’s population. As the country-wide lockdown stretches into its fourth year, infected Americans are forced into quarantine camps. Amid the dystopia, one courier (portrayed by “Riverdale” star KJ Apa) who is immune to the virus, falls in love with an aspiring artist (Sofia Carson), who is believed to become infected.

Adam Mason directed the movie from a script he co-wrote with Simon Boyes. “Songbird” also stars Craig Robinson, Bradley Whitford, Demi Moore and Paul Walter Hauser.