Disney has confirmed that two of its upcoming comic book films -- Marvel Studios' Eternals and 20th Century Studios' The King's Man -- will, in fact, be premiering exclusively in theaters.
As reported by Variety, Disney announced today that Eternals and The King's Man, as well as The Last Duel, West Side Story and Ron's Gone Wrong, will play exclusively in theaters for a minimum of 45 days before being made available on digital platforms. Meanwhile, Encanto is slated to premiere on Nov. 24, and will play exclusively in theaters for 30 days before heading to Disney+.
Based on the comic book The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, The King's Man serves as a prequel to 2014's Kingsman: The Secret Service and 2017's Kingsman: The Golden Circle. The film was originally slated to hit theaters on Nov. 15, 2019. After numerous delays, it is now scheduled to arrive later this year on Dec. 22 -- its eighth proposed release date.
Meanwhile, Eternals is based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name created by Jack Kirby. The 26th feature film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Eternals was originally slated for release on Nov. 6, 2020 before being delayed twice as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters in two months' time on Nov. 5.
The decision for Eternals to receive a theater-exclusive premiere is sure to please Marvel boss Kevin Feige, who has been in favor of Marvel Studios' films debuting only in theaters. Marvel Studios' first feature film since 2019, Black Widow, premiered simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access back in July after being delayed over a year due to COVID-19.
Black Widow's follow-up, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, arrived earlier this month, becoming the first MCU movie to premiere exclusively in theaters since 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. Thus far, Shang-Chi has grossed just over $100 million domestically and about $166 million worldwide. It was recently reported that Eternals would be sticking to its planned theater-exclusive premiere and that Shang-Chi's strong performance was a deciding factor in the decision.
With Black Widow setting a precedent, it had long been speculated regarding whether or not Shang-Chi and Eternals would follow suit with similar day-and-date Disney+ premieres. At this stage, however, it seems as though the day-and-date release model was well and truly a one-time thing for Marvel Studios.
The Last Duel releases in theaters in the United States on Oct. 15, followed by Ron's Gone Wrong on Oct. 22, Eternals on Nov. 5, Encanto on Nov. 24, West Side Story on Dec. 10 and The King's Man on Dec. 22.
Source: Variety