To the surprise of no one, the bite-sized streaming platform known as Quibi is officially shutting down just seven months after arriving on the scene earlier this year. For horror fans, that means the Sam Raimi-produced horror anthology series “50 States of Fright“ is no more, the show squeezing out two seasons of content before its streaming home bit the bullet.
This also means that the upcoming adaptation of Junji Ito’s Tomie from Alexandre Aja is no longer happening, though we hope it – and “50 States” – will find a home elsewhere.
Wall Street Journal has the full breakdown of the shutdown, with the site noting that “the streaming service has been plagued with problems since it launched in April, facing lower-than-expected viewership, disappointing download numbers and a lawsuit from a well-capitalized foe.” Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg made the call to investors today.
Designed as an on-the-go streaming option, with all content broken up into short “episodes” meant to be watched on your phone, Quibi certainly didn’t benefit from launching during a pandemic that left everyone stuck at home, though that can hardly be considered the sole reason for its downfall. At the end of the day, it just didn’t stand out enough to make its mark.
Other genre shows Quibi had in their roster included the just-launched “The Expecting,” directed by Mary Harron, and the Maika Monroe/Dane DeHaan-starring “The Stranger.”
