‘The King of Staten Island’ removed suddenly from movie theaters shortly before film debuts on video on demand

Pete Davidson stars in "The King of Staten Island." (Mary Cybulski/AP Photo)

Movie fans will need to watch “The King of Staten Island” from their thrones at home.

The semi-autobiographical film starring Pete Davidson is not being shown at any of the theaters that had hoped to screen it, Variety reported.

About 100 theaters — many of which are drive-in venues — in the United States that are currently open during the coronavirus pandemic had expected to show the comedy-drama upon its premiere last week.

Universal Pictures reportedly asked them not to two days before its release, with insiders telling Variety that booking the movie at theaters was the result of an internal miscommunication, and that the studio had always planned for the film to be released exclusively via video on demand.

Last week, director Judd Apatow clarified on Twitter that the film was not going to any theaters.

“It won’t be playing there. It is a mistake. It is only on VOD," Apatow explained to a Twitter user who shared a picture of a theater listing.

The movie was initially slated for a theatrical release, but was then moved to video on demand in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, which caused theaters to close indefinitely.

“The King of Staten Island,” which debuted digitally last Friday, features a fictional screenplay based on Davidson’s life and experiences following the loss of his father, a New York firefighter, who died in the line of duty on 9/11.