The day for day-and-date releases has passed — at least for the Walt Disney Co.'s upcoming releases.
The studio on Friday announced that all of its remaining films this year will open exclusively theatrically. That includes the Marvel release "Eternals" (Nov. 5), Ridley Scott's "The Last Duel" (Oct. 15), the animated release "Ron's Gone Wrong" (Oct. 22), Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" (Dec. 10) and the Kingsman sequel "The King's Man" (Dec. 22).
All of the films will have a minimum run of 45 days in theaters before streaming, though "Encanto" will head to Disney+ after 30 days.
Disney accounted for 38% of domestic moviegoing in 2019 and holds enormous sway in the industry. Its commitment to theatrical releases, after experimenting throughout the pandemic, was sure to be a huge relief for cinema owners and a sign of restoring some normality in moviegoing this fall.
For much of 2021, with a few notable exceptions, Disney has premiered many of its releases both in theaters and on Disney+. That included the Marvel movie "Black Widow," after which star Scarlett Johansson sued Disney, alleging the day-and-date approach breached her contract and deprived her of potential earnings. Disney has said the release complied with Johansson's contract and called the suit without merit.
Day-and-date releases proliferated during the pandemic while studios turned to boosting their in-home streaming services and compensating for diminished ticket sales. Theater owners have said that sacrifices many millions in box office and may deter from a movie's cultural impact.
And, lately, the box-office returns — even during the recent coronavirus surge — have been promising. Disney's "Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" smashed the record for Labor Day openings last weekend, earning $90 million over the four-day weekend. Many in the industry have taken that as proof of the power of a theater-only release, and a positive sign for the fall movie season. Sony Pictures immediately after moved up the release of its Marvel sequel, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage."
"Following the tremendous box office success of our summer films which included five of the top eight domestic releases of the year, we are excited to update our theatrical plans for the remainder of 2021," said Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution. "As confidence in moviegoing continues to improve, we look forward to entertaining audiences in theaters, while maintaining the flexibility to give our Disney+ subscribers the gift of 'Encanto' this holiday season."
