Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek is not ruling out simultaneous theatrical and streaming releases for movies in 2022 and beyond.
"So the Disney Premier Access strategy, one of the things it gives us right now, and we're grateful for this, is the ability to go ahead and try to release things into the market, and try to reprime the pump, if you will, but at the same time know that for those consumers that are a little leery still about going into a packed theater, that they can go ahead and watch it in the safety and convenience of their home," Chapek said during Disney's investors call. "In terms of going beyond this fiscal year, we've not announced exactly what our strategy is going to be in terms of which titles will be theatrical plus Disney Premier Access, which ones will be direct to Disney+ or which ones will go into theaters, but know that we'll continue to watch the evolution of the recovery of the theatrical marketplace and we'll use that flexibility to make the right call at the right time."
"But right now we've only called those films in this fiscal year because of the relatively fluid nature of the recovery of exhibition," Chapek continued. He also noted that recent box office results being drastically down from the same weekends in the last few years indicate "the [theatrical] market is not quite there yet."
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Disney, for the first time ever, debuted a movie on the Disney+ streaming service. Mulan was the first film to be released as a Premier Access title. This meant that users had to pay a $30 fee to access the title in addition to the streaming service's monthly fee. This method was used once again for Raya and the Last Dragon, though this time the feature also had a simultaneous theatrical release.
Disney is employing the simultaneous Premier Access and theatrical release method for future titles like Cruella, Black Widow and Jungle Cruise. It was recently announced that late summer 2021 titles Free Guy and Shang-Chi would adhere to traditional theatrical-only releases, albeit with only a 45-day window before hitting streaming and PVOD compared to the traditional 90-day window.
Source: Collider