Disney says ‘Eternals’, ‘West Side Story’ will only hit theaters

The rest of Disney’s 2021 roster will arrive exclusively in theaters, the company said on Friday.

For the first half of the year, Disney has chosen to make several of its new films available in theaters and on Disney + either for free or for a fee of $ 30. These decisions were made long before vaccination rates rose and before the delta variant spread in the United States.

It became clear, however, that the dual release led to the cannibalization of theater ticket sales.

With the success of the theatrical-only releases of 20th Century Studio’s “Free Guy” and Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” at the domestic box office, Disney seems confident that consumers are ready to return to the market. cinema and that the future of its successful features is on the big screen.

With a box office of $ 75.5 million on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, “Shang-Chi” had the second biggest domestic debut since the start of the pandemic. His total box office win for the four-day holiday weekend exceeded $ 90 million, nearly triple that of the previous Labor Day weekend record holder.

“Free Guy,” an original concept film, has grossed an estimated $ 240 million worldwide since it debuted on August 13, the fifth-biggest global gain of 2021.

Disney’s new animated feature “Encanto,” slated for release around Thanksgiving, will have an exclusive 30-day theatrical release before it hits Disney + on December 24.

“Eternals”, “The Last Duel”, “Ron’s Gone Wrong”, “West Side Story” and “The King’s Man” will all have an exclusive theatrical release lasting at least 45 days.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” was not included in this list, but will likely have an exclusive theatrical release as well. It is co-produced by Disney and Sony. Sony does not have its own streaming platform and has released all of its 2021 theatrical movies exclusively in theaters.