Movie theaters are closed, but Amazon's "Prime Video Cinema" lets you theatrical releases from home.

As part of social distancing, movie theaters across the country are suspending their services. 

But if you're a cinema buff who's chomping at the bit for new releases, or just bored and quarantined looking for entertainment, the new Amazon Cinema hub might be the solution for you. It's available for those that have Prime Video—new releases are searchable or have their own section on the home menu. Digital copies can be purchased or rented for 48 hours.

Both the rental and purchase for any title are priced at $20, which is steep by streaming standards but comes at a fraction of taking the family to a night at the movie theater. And all options are high-definition, of course.

What can I watch?

Available on the service now are Onward, The Hunt, The Invisible Man, and Emma. For right now, only Onward is available to own, and the others are rental-only. 

More are coming soon—Birds of Prey, The Way Back, and Bloodshot are up on the service by the time you read this, probably.

Is this a new standard?

In normal conditions, a movie spends six months or so in theaters before moving to scheduled releases to rentals, BluRay and DVD, and eventually to streaming. But it's a tough time for studios to release movies, and many (like the new James Bond or A Quiet Place 2) have opted to delay their release to theaters. This new wave of early digital releases is the first time a major Hollywood studio has changed up the traditional release schedule.

Disney+ has Frozen II and the newest Star Wars available to stream early, and iTunes and Google Play are also offering access to new releases. Pretty much anybody who hasn't postponed their movie releases has some way for you to see it early by digital rental or streaming.

I reckon we're all just adapting to these strange times. It's nice to have some new stuff to watch. 

What's on your TV these days? What shows or movies are keeping you company in quarantine?