Following the controversy of box office flops due to simultaneous streaming premiere dates, Disney has revised the release schedule for the rest of its 2021 films. Although legal action is still undergoing from Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney over the second-weekend box office flop of Black Widow, it is presumed that the case played a part in Disney's recent 2021 schedule changes.
Disney announced the decision to release its remaining 2021 films exclusively in theaters with a 45-day window was made based on a number of conclusions, including the fact that more people have become comfortable attending movie theaters since the start of the pandemic. Legal complaints such as Johansson's come from a place of genuine concern since many people involved in making a movie are paid partially off its success at the box office. Black Widow earned a pandemic record high at the time of $80 million in theaters, but also earned right around the same amount on Disney Plus, offsetting the amount the cast and crew on the film would earn.
With the opening weekend box office successes of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Free Guy, Disney feels confident that their decision will allow the remaining 2021 releases to also be successful. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made $71.4 million in its opening weekend, becoming the second most successful opening weekend out of those released theatrically during the pandemic. Free Guy, on the other hand, brought in $28.4 million during its premiere in August. Both of these films have a 45-day theatrical release window before they will become available to stream.
Among the remaining 2021 releases, the new decision will affect The Last Duel (October 15th), Ron's Gone Wrong (October 22nd), Eternals (November 5th), West Side Story (December 10th), and The Kings's Man (December 22nd). The only exception will be for the animated film Encanto, set to premiere November 24th, which will have a 30-day theatrical window before heading to Disney Plus.
With the recent change from Disney, the question remains of how other streaming services such as HBO Max will address their upcoming theatrical releases. As of right now, HBO Max still plans a simultaneous streaming release for its remaining films of 2021. The pandemic affected nearly every industry but it changed theater-going and the making of films in ways that will most likely change how people watch movies in the future.
Many movie theaters were not able to survive the pandemic, making streaming sometimes the only option for people to watch films. The next year will become crucial for movie premieres, as HBO Max and other streaming services may be forced to reevaluate plans for 2022.
Source: The Walt Disney Company