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Disney announced Friday that it will release the rest of its 2021 films exclusively in theaters for an extended period before finally making them available on Disney + following the box office success of recent films despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The company’s media and entertainment division announced the move in a press release, revealing that each of its five upcoming films will have an exclusive theatrical release of at least 45 days before streaming to subscribers.
Upcoming films include the November release of Marvel’s “Eternals,” which follows a group of immortal beings with superhuman powers, as well as the long-awaited remake of the classic musical “West Side Story,” which is slated for release. a first in December.
The news follows reports that the latest Marvel movie, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” grossed an estimated $ 94.7 million in US and Canadian theatrical ticket sales over the Labor Day weekend, setting a new record for a week -end of opening of the September holidays, according to Reuters.
The film was released exclusively in theaters for 45 days before being added to Disney +, a change from the simultaneous release of “Black Widow” in theaters and via Premier Access of the streaming platform. .
The double exit resulted in legal action from film star Scarlett Johansson, who argued that the move was in violation of her contract, which set her salary exclusively based on the film’s box office performance.
Kareem Daniel, president of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, said in a statement Friday: “Following the huge box office success of our summer films which included five of the top eight national releases of the year, we are excited to update our seating plans for the rest of 2021.
“As confidence in theaters continues to improve, we look forward to entertaining audiences in theaters, while retaining the flexibility to give our Disney + subscribers the gift of Encanto. this holiday season, ”he added, referring to the animated film that will be added to Disney + on Christmas Eve after an exclusive 30-day theatrical release.
As movie theater attendance remains well below pre-pandemic levels, more people have returned to in-person screenings, even amid flare-ups of the highly contagious Delta variant.
AMC announced this week that Labor Day weekend marks “”the first time since the onset of COVID that attendance during a weekend in 2021 exceeded the same weekend in 2019. ”
The cinema chain also said it broke its record for admissions over the holiday weekend.
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