In a sign that the climate for the pandemic might be brighter, Marvel has decided to release Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings exclusively in theaters. Black Widow, which is releasing July 9th, is coming to Disney+ Premier Access and theaters. On the Disney Quarterly Earnings call with CEO Bob Chapek, he confirmed that Shang-Chi and Free Guy would be going exclusively to theaters. This news was because of the ability for more people to make it to theaters. We’re getting closer to the “normal” release schedules we saw before the pandemic.
Here’s his quote:
Regardless of where they originate, all of our films and episodic series will end up as part of the robust library of content on our direct-to-consumer platforms. Flexibility is the key component of our distribution strategy, and we have outlined three approaches for distributing our films. Releases in Theatres with the simultaneous offering via Disney+ Premiere Access, release straight to Disney+, and traditional exclusive theatrical releases.
So while we might be seeing some Disney films coming to Disney+ right away, not all of them are going straight to streaming. Shang-Chi is set to release September 3rd. Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds is coming August 13th.
So, what do you think of this new release window for these films?
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