The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run is skipping theaters in favor of a VOD release in 2021. The first-ever all-CGI SpongeBob movie was originally supposed to hit theaters back in May and was later pushed to August 7th. Now, the highly anticipated movie will premiere on premium digital rental services in early 2021 before landing on CBS All Access, along with every episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Viacom's CBS All Access, ViacomCBS made the announcement today. While a lot of people are looking forward to seeing The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run on the big screen, waiting for a VOD release seems like a safer bet at the moment. Movie theaters are supposed to open up next month, but it's unclear if people are going to be willing to go. Marc DeBevoise, chief digital officer, ViacomCBS and president and chief executive officer, ViacomCBS Digital, had this to say in a statement.

"We are thrilled to have The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, a premier, first-run movie from one of ViacomCBS' biggest brands, join CBS All Access' expanding slate of franchise content from across ViacomCBS. This launch will be perfectly timed with our continued expansion and planned rebranding of the service in early 2021, as we welcome SpongeBob and the gang from Bikini Bottom to the service in the biggest way possible."

Universal's Trolls World Tour was able to skip out on theaters and see some great success, as was Scoob!, which will be heading to HBO Max next. With people unsure of going into indoor public places with more than 10 people, especially with children, this will more than likely be the best thing for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. Ramsey Naito, executive vice president, Nickelodeon Animation Production and Development, had this to say.

"We're happy to give kids and families a much-deserved lift in any way we can, and the PVOD release of the new SpongeBob theatrical and putting all seasons of the TV series on CBS All Access are two of the best ways I can think of to get immersed in the optimism and joy that this terrific character represents."

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run finds the main character in some trouble as his beloved pet Gary is snail-napped. SpongeBob, along with his best friend Patrick Star, end up on an adventure that brings them into contact with some of Bikini Bottom's best characters. They even have to take a trip to The Lost City of Atlantic City in an attempt to bring Gary home.

It has not yet been announced exactly when The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run will be available on VOD. So far, we only know that it will happen at the beginning of 2021, which isn't too far away from now. Hopefully we'll all be back to some form of normal by that time, which will include going to the movies and concerts again. For now, we'll just have to sit back and wait. Variety was the first to announce The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run VOD news.