Napoleon stars Joaquin Phoenix as French emperor Napoleon, with his wife Josephine portrayed by Vanessa Kirby. The highly-anticipated movie is directed by Ridley Scott.
Apple itself does not have the internal resources or talent to handle releasing films in thousands of theaters worldwide, so it is partnering with established studios. For Napoleon, Apple is working with Sony Pictures Entertainment to handle the theatrical rollout.
Bloomberg previously reported that Apple is on the hunt for a long-term partner on theatrical releases. For now, it is making deals on a case-by-case basis.
Also on the Apple theatrical books this year is Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, set for an October release. This came about as the film originated at Paramount, before Apple acquired the $200m film. Under the deal, Apple paid for production in exchange for rights to stream the film, while Paramount would manage a theatrical release.