Disney Commits to Exclusive Theatrical Releases for Remaining 2021 Films

Disney is committing to release all six of the remaining films on its 2021 film slate theatrically, with all but one getting a minimum of a 45-day exclusive theatrical window, the studio announced Friday.

Marvel’s “Eternals” as well as the 20th Century titles “The Last Duel,” “West Side Story,” “Ron’s Gone Wrong” and “The King’s Man” will all be released with a 45-day window, while the animated musical film “Encanto” will be released with a 30-day window on November 24 before coming to Disney+ one month later. “Encanto” will then open on Disney+ on Christmas Eve in time for the holidays.

The upcoming release slate as it stands includes: “The Last Duel” on October 15, “Ron’s Gone Wrong” on Oct. 22, 2021, “Eternals” on Nov. 5, 2021, “West Side Story” on December 10, 2021 and “The King’s Man” on Dec. 22, 2021.

“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,” Kareem Daniel, chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said in a statement. “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.”

Disney had a win this past weekend with the release of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which was only released in theaters and made $90 million over the 4-day Labor Day weekend, a record for any Labor Day, pandemic or not, and the Ryan Reynolds comedy similarly performed well as a theatrical exclusive. On the other side of the coin, the Dwayne Johnson film “Jungle Cruise” has also had legs at the box office despite also being available as a premium release through Disney+.

But Disney also faces a lawsuit from “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson after that film was released day-and-date in theaters and on Disney+ as a Premier Access title, with Johansson’s lawyers saying that her contract was worded around the film getting a theatrical exclusive release and that she would’ve received bonuses based on the film’s box office performance (Disney initially said the lawsuit has “no merit whatsoever”).

More to come…

Source: the wrap feed