Coming into 2021, many people assumed theaters would pick themselves up and begin their return to the glory days. Well, not so much.
Theaters are still struggling and some might say the recovery is going to be in 2022, at the very earliest. Well, Marvel Studios, surprisingly, has felt the pain of this, with “Black Widow” getting hit pretty hard at the box office, which was compounded by Disney’s release of the film on streaming. Next up, Marvel Studios is releasing “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” as a theatrical exclusive, a strategy the Disney CEO described as “an interesting experiment.” Then after that is “Eternals,” which was poised to be a massive breakout film for the superhero factory. But will it go to theaters or streaming or both? Kevin Feige has a preference, but he’s not ready to guarantee anything.
Speaking to Variety at the premiere of ‘Shang-Chi,’ Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was asked point-blank if we’ll see “Eternals” arrive in theaters exclusively and not a hybrid Disney+ release? As you might expect, the executive is a professional at answering questions without actually providing much information.
Feige responded, “I think a theater would be my preference and Chloé’s preference. We will see where we go with it.”
The Chloé that he is referring to is Chloé Zhao, the director and co-writer of “Eternals.” She’s one of the main sources of excitement for the new Marvel film, as she’s coming off a series of Oscar wins for her most recent feature, “Nomadland.” Those wins, combined with Marvel Studios’ insistence that Zhao demanded more practical sets and effects in “Eternals,” made fans excited to see her vision on the biggest possible screen.
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But is that realistic? That’s the big unknown.
If “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” isn’t a strong box office success for Disney/Marvel Studios, we could see all major studios be a little gunshy about releasing films in theaters this fall until the COVID numbers go down and vaccines are more accepted in the US. So, it’s awfully telling that Feige isn’t willing to guarantee a theatrical exclusivity window for “Eternals” just yet. Indeed, we’ll just have to wait and see.
For now, “Eternals” is set to arrive exclusively in theaters on November 5.