Marvel’s Shang-Chi isn’t showing on Disney Plus, sorry

Marvel’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings hit theaters on Friday, riding a wave of critical praise and buzz about its martial arts fight scenes. But unlike the other movies Disney released during the pandemic, Shang-Chi is not available to stream on Disney Plus, reducing the options for fans who have become accustomed to streaming movies on the same day or not. anyone nervous about going to the movies because the delta variant is fueling a resurgence of COVID-19.

The theatrical exclusivity is a big departure from Disney’s new normal during the pandemic. As cinemas closed or reduced capacity, Disney plus became an outlet for society to make films accessible to a wider audience, especially as the backlog of films accumulated.

Some Disney movies – typically low-budget live-action movies and its latest Pixar, Luca, and Soul movies – skipped theaters completely and were available to stream on Disney Plus at no additional cost. For bigger movies, Disney Plus introduced its Premier Access model to sell streaming access to new movies on the big screen. Disney Plus members could stream brand new movies at home for $ 30 on top of their subscription price. Disney has released five films, including Marvel’s Black Widow in July.

Then, as vaccinations widened, Disney reintroduced plans for theatrical exclusives. The first movie to hit theaters this way was Free Guy, a 20th century video game comedy from Disney Studios. It hit theaters on August 13, with a 45-day pledge to be only available in theaters.

But the delta variant threw a wrench into all of the studios’ release plans, which they crafted at the height of optimism for a box office revival. Surveys show that consumers feel less comfortable going to the movies again.

With all of these factors swirling around, Shang-Chi is next.

Is Shang-Chi streaming on Disney Plus?

No. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is only available in theaters starting Friday.

During the pandemic, Disney released all of their new movies to Disney Plus in one way or another. A number of new films, like his latest Pixar movies, skipped theaters completely and were available to stream on Disney Plus at no additional cost. But the biggest movies – like the last Marvel movie before Shang-Chi, Black Widow – hit theaters and Disney Plus on the same day, available to stream only for a known additional $ 30 fee through a model called Premier Access.

But Shang-Chi is returning to the pre-pandemic standard of theatrical exclusives. This will be the first Marvel movie released in theaters since Sony’s Spider-Man: Far from Home was released in July 2019.

When is Shang-Chi’s Disney Plus release?

Shang-Chi is expected to land on Disney Plus to air in mid-October, likely at no additional cost to subscribers.

However, Disney has repeatedly said that it values ​​flexibility above all else as it decides how to release movies during the pandemic. The company has yet to give full confirmation on how Shang-Chi will be released on Disney Plus, so those expectations may change.

Shang-Chi agrees to be in theaters exclusively for at least 45 days. At this point, in mid-October, the film is expected to hit Disney Plus. If Disney is sticking to precisely a 45-day movie window, it would be Monday, October 18. It’s much faster than Disney theatrical movies would have hit the streaming service before the pandemic, when it typically took them five to eight months to start streaming.

And Shang-Chi is expected to stream on Disney Plus at no additional cost, in large part because Disney Plus has never charged a fee for anything on its service except for a brand new movie. Every other $ 30 Premier Access release has been a movie available in theaters and on Disney Plus the same day.

But again, these expectations are subject to change. The Disney CEO indicated this exit plan for Shang-Chi in mid-August. At the time, he stressed the company’s commitment to a theatrical exclusivity for Shang-Chi, but he was less concrete about what happens after the 45-day movie. He indicated that Disney Plus was Shang-Chi’s destination after the 45-day window, while reiterating that the company wanted to remain flexible.

What will happen when the next Marvel movie, Eternals, releases in November?

Disney has yet to confirm a streaming release date for Eternals, which is a star-studded Marvel movie set to hit theaters on November 5. But here’s what we know and some educated guesses on what to expect.

• Disney is currently planning to have Eternals in theaters exclusively when it first releases on November 5.
• If Disney sticks to a theatrical exclusivity, there’s a good chance Eternals will only be in theaters for at least a month and a half, the same 45-day window Shang-Chi will have.
• Disney Plus will be the only service to (eventually) stream Eternals when it becomes available to stream – but we have no real indication of when Eternals will air on Disney Plus.
• Shang-Chi’s box office performance will likely be a major factor in Disney’s decision-making regarding the details of Eternals’ release plan.

Eternals’ arrival on Disney Plus could come 45 days after its theatrical release, or it could take several months. Before the pandemic, new Disney films would make their way to Disney plus approximately five to eight months after their premiere in theaters. If Disney returns to that standard, it’s possible that Disney Plus subscribers will wait until summer 2022 to start streaming Eternals.

We won’t know for sure until Disney confirms a streaming plan. And that won’t confirm an Eternals streaming plan until Disney gets to see how Shang-Chi behaves.