Walt Disney Co. said on Friday that it will release “Eternals,” “West Side Story,” and the rest of its 2021 films exclusively in theaters before streaming them, a show of confidence that filming will recover. (Brendan McDermid, Reuters)
LOS ANGELES – Walt Disney Co. said on Friday that it will release “Eternals,” “West Side Story,” and the rest of its 2021 films exclusively in theaters before streaming, a show of confidence that filming will regain.
The company had experimented during the pandemic by releasing some films on the Disney + streaming service while running in theaters. Filmmakers have been watching closely how Disney, which has dominated movie box office in recent years, would manage its next slate, as the delta variant slowed the audience’s return to multiplexes.
Disney said in a statement that the animated musical “Charm” will be playing in theaters for 30 days starting Nov. 24 and will head to Disney + just before Christmas. The film tells the story of a family living in a magical house in the mountains of Colombia. Includes music written by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The rest of Disney’s releases, including the Marvel movie “Eternals” in November and Steven Spielberg’s revival of “West Side Story” in December, will be played exclusively in theaters for at least 45 days, the company said.
Marvel’s latest Disney movie, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” has just set a Labor Day weekend record with $ 94.7 million in ticket sales. American and Canadian cinemas. The film, with a predominantly Asian cast, including Simu Liu and Awkwafina, was only shown in theaters.
But the screening of films for the year remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Theatrical chains such as AMC Entertainment, Cineworld and Cinemark have great fall and winter titles to attract customers.
Disney’s other 2021 films include the historical drama “The Last Duel” and the animated comedy “Ron’s Gone Wrong” in October, and the action spy film “The King’s Man.” in December.