Disney Announced Its remaining 2021 movie slate will be released exclusively in theaters before hitting its Disney + streaming platform.
According to Disney’s announcement, the rest of its scheduled releases will have an exclusive theatrical release of at least 45 days. This excludes the Walt Disney Animation Studios musical. Charm, which will have an exclusive 30-day theatrical premiere starting on November 24.
The rest of the Disney 2021 movie lineup includes:
- The last duel October 15, 2021
- Ron was wrong October 22, 2021
- Eternal on November 5, 2021
- West Side Story December 10, 2021
- King’s man December 22, 2021
Disney cited the success of movie premieres, which include Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings and Free boy, as motivation for change. Shang-chi exceeded $ 71.4 million (approximately $ 90.24 million CAD) in its opening weekend, marking the second-largest opening for movies released in theaters during the pandemic. Free boy raised $ 28.4 million (about C $ 35.9 million) during its debut in August. Both films topped $ 100 million at the box office.
The change is likely to mark a change for film companies and cinemas. The pandemic led to temporary movie theater closures and many studios delayed movie releases or switched to streaming premieres. Disney’s transition back to theatrical releases could signal the beginning of a broader trend for theaters.
However, it’s also worth noting that Disney is grappling with the fallout from its decision to release some movies on streaming platforms. Scarlett Johansson sued the company for the release of Black widow, which was available through Disney + for an additional fee while it was also in theaters.
Johansson alleges that the simultaneous release reduced the amount of money he made in theaters. Consequently, he claims to have lost money as his salary for the film was based in part on box office performance. Disney has disputed the merits of the lawsuit; You can read more about the lawsuit and its possible implications here.