Disney announced late Friday that the remaining films on its 2021 schedule will be released exclusively in cinemas before being available on its Disney Plus streaming channel.
“Following the tremendous box office success of our summer films, which included five of the top eight domestic releases of the year,” Kareem Daniel, chairman, Disney media & entertainment distribution, said in a news release, “we are excited to update our theatrical plans for the remainder of 2021.”
Movie studios postponed the release of many of their films due to the coronavirus pandemic and temporary closures of movie theaters that began last spring, intending to give the pandemic limitations time to lessen and allow audiences to return to theaters in big numbers. When Warner Bros. announced in December 2020 that its full 2021 slate will be launched simultaneously on its HBO Max streaming channel, it enraged many in Hollywood.
Disney’s move follows the box office success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Free Guy, both of which were released in theaters first. Each of the films had a 45-day theatrical release window thanks to Disney. Shang-Chi grossed $71.4 million over Labor Day weekend, making it the second-highest opening weekend among films released in theaters during the pandemic, behind Free Guy’s $28.4 million debut in August. Both films have grossed more than $100 million at the box office since their release.
However, Disney is still coping with the blowback from its choice to release Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow in theaters and on Disney Plus (for a $30 charge) at the same time in July. Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney, arguing that the film’s box office receipts were harmed by its simultaneous distribution.
The actress’ pay was partly determined by the success of Black Widow at the box office, which meant she could lose a lot of money. Disney has questioned Johansson’s suit’s grounds. According to Variety, Black Widow grossed $80 million in its first weekend in the United States, including $80 million from Disney Plus.
The animated musical film Encanto will be released in theaters on November 24th for a 30-day window, according to the Disney movie release plan for the rest of 2021. The rest of the slate will have a 45-day theatrical release window, which will be as follows (however, as we’ve seen before, most release dates are susceptible to change as the epidemic progresses):
- The Last Duel -October 15th
- Ron’s Gone Wrong– October 22nd
- Eternals -November 5th
- West Side Story-December 10th
- The King’s Man -December 22nd