As the trip to the movies slowly begins to recover in the United States, it seems that Hollywood studios are not yet ready to launch their biggest box office hits on the big screen.
All of this to say that Disney has largely overhauled its next list and changed the plans for launching “Black Widow”, “Cruella” by Emma Stone, “Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings”, “Luca” by Pixar and several others.
Notably, “Black Widow” and “Cruella” will now debut on Disney Plus at the same time as they open in theaters. “Cruella” is coming as scheduled on May 28, while “Black Widow” has been delayed two months and opens on July 9 instead of May 7. Both titles will be offered on Premier Access, which comes with a $ 30 rental fee.
The change in the schedule for “Black Widow” means that Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, which was previously scheduled for July, has been postponed to September 3. It is expected to have a traditional theatrical release.
Meanwhile, Pixar’s animated maturing adventure, “Luca,” will not be showing in theaters and instead will be released exclusively on Disney Plus, at no extra cost, on June 18.
Despite the major shift to streaming, Disney does not plan to abandon cinemas altogether. Several minor titles, especially those inherited from the 20th century, have been postponed, but will only be shown on the big screen, including “Free Guy” (August 13), “The King’s Man” (December 22), “Deep Water” (14 January 2022) and “Death on the Nile” (February 11, 2022).
Kareem Daniel, president of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, says the ad “reflects our focus on providing options to the consumer and meeting the evolving preferences of the public.”
“By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic market that is starting to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver unparalleled stories from The Walt Disney Company to fans and families around the world,” he said. he.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Disney’s “Mulan” remake came out of theaters and was released on Disney Plus for a special fee. Disney did not release audience figures for any streaming offerings, but company CEO Bob Chapek hinted that the studio will continue to experiment with launch plans as the global theater market remains hampered.
Among film exhibitors and studio executives, optimism has increased in recent weeks, as movie theaters in Los Angeles and New York have begun to reopen. However, capacity is being limited to 25% (or 100 people per auditorium in LA and 50 per auditorium in NYC). This is remarkably restricted to ticket sales, making it virtually impossible for big-budget films to make a profit only in theaters. Marvel films typically cost more than $ 200 million to produce.
Disney has postponed its list, including several Marvel titles, numerous times in the midst of the pandemic. The studio was able to witness firsthand how the American market is recovering by recently launching “Raya and the Last Dragon”, an animated adventure aimed at the family audience, in theaters and at Disney Plus for a special fee. The film grossed $ 23.4 million in the United States and $ 71 million globally, which is modest by pandemic standards. But it would be financially damaging for “Black Widow” or Shang-Chi “, if those titles reproduced the results of” Raya and the Last Dragon “.
Still, Hollywood studios are not fully betting against the summer film season. Disney and its competitors hope that the general public will feel more comfortable returning to recreational activities, such as going to the movies, as more and more people get the COVID-19 vaccine. To that end, Paramount postponed the release of “A Quiet Place Part II” from September to May 28, while Universal marginally outperformed “F9” from May to June 25.
“Black Widow” stars Scarlett Johansson and takes place after the events of “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016. It was originally scheduled for May 2020, but has been postponed three times in the midst of the pandemic. When the Black Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff, finds herself alone, she is forced to face a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her previous life as a spy, long before she became an Avenger. Cate Shortland directed the film, the 24th edition of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Florence Pugh and David Harbor complete the cast.
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” puts the spotlight on Simu Liu as the eponymous superhero, who fights against his past after being attracted to the organization of the Ten Rings. The film, which has also been recovered a few times in last year, it features Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Ronny Chieng and Michelle Yeoh.