Disney sticking with their plan of flexibility regarding day-and-date releases

As we near the end of our second year with COVID, it’s clear that some things have changed forever. One of those things are movies, or rather, how they’re released. Over the last two years, we’ve seen studios adopt various release strategies when it comes to their films, with some choosing to release their films purely on streaming services. Disney, one of the biggest players when it comes to blockbuster fare, has been pretty flexible with its releases. Some of their films, such as Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, have been released strictly in theaters, while others like Black Widow and Jungle Cruise have been released in theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously.

During Disney’s recent quarterly earnings call, CEO Bob Chapek said that they will be “sticking with our plan of flexibility” when it comes to their releases. “We’re still unsure in terms of how the marketplace is going to react when family films come back with a theatrical first window,” Chapek said. Even when COVID is more under control, Chapek said that things may be permanently changed for Disney releases.

While Covid will be in the rearview mirror, God willing, I think change in consumer behavior will be more permanent. We’re watching very, very carefully different types of movies to see how the different components of the demographics of that market come back.

Chapek continued, “You’ll notice that the films we are putting into the marketplace that are theatrical and are family films have a fairly short window. We’re doing that so we can get our films quicker to Disney+, but at the same time, see if the theatrical market can kick back into full gear as we prime the pump with these films.” Disney’s next release will be Encanto, an animated film that follows a young Columbian woman who is the only member of her family without magical powers. When her family’s magic is in danger of disappearing, she must go on a journey to save her family. Encanto will be released exclusively in theaters on November 24th, but will also be released on Disney+ on December 24th.