With the announcement that “Black Widow” is going to Disney+ Premier Access on the same date as it does theaters, combined with the news yesterday that Dwayne Johnson’s “Jungle Cruise” is doing the same, theater owners were rightfully concerned that the Mouse House was destroying the theatrical exclusivity window for good. Well, according to a recent investors call (via THR), Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed that some of the biggest films remaining in 2021 (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Free Guy”) are coming to cinemas exclusively…but the window is shrinking considerably.
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According to the Disney CEO, he is willing to confirm Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the upcoming Ryan Reynolds action-comedy “Free Guy” are coming exclusively to theaters later this year. However, instead of the typical release window, where films spend roughly 90 days exclusively in cinemas before heading to VOD and then streaming, Chapek is only willing to guarantee that those two films will stay exclusive to theaters for 45 days.
Obviously, after the terrible year that cinemas have faced in 2020 and early 2021, 45 days is enough to celebrate, but it does show that Disney (along with other studios who have announced similar strategies) is using this pandemic to reinvent what the “theatrical window” looks like. And for those cinema owners worried about the future of the business, it appears that the window is shrinking…fast.
This isn’t all that surprising, of course. As mentioned, Disney (along with WarnerMedia’s entire 2021 Warner Bros. slate of films) has effectively destroyed the theatrical window for many big releases already in 2021. In addition to “Black Widow” and “Jungle Cruise,” we’ve seen this happen with Disney releases like “Cruella,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and “Mulan.” So, it appears that the studio is still interested in releasing films exclusively in theaters but it’s also hedging its bets on streaming, experimenting with what is the best way to move forward.
And moving forward, the future is decidedly up in the air. Even Chapek isn’t willing to confirm which strategy Disney will utilize moving into 2022.
“Beyond this year, we haven’t announced our strategy,” said Chapek. “But know that we will continue to watch the evolution of the recovery of the theatrical marketplace, but right now we’ve only called the films in this year.”
All things considered, it’s nice to see Disney recommit to theaters with even a 45-day window. However, much like with the WarnerMedia strategy in 2021, it’ll be interesting to see what these massive studios decide to do after this year of experimentation comes to an end.
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is expected to arrive in theaters on September 3, with “Free Guy” arriving on December 10.