Remaining 2021 Disney Films to Be Released Only in Theaters

Saiesha Munuri
International Business Writer

Walt Disney Co. announced Friday that the movies set to release this year will be shown exclusively in theaters before they are released on other platforms.  The movie of the summer, Black Widow, much awaited by audiences had been released on both Disney+ and theaters. Much to the actress’s dismay, Black Widow’s release on Disney+ generated a revenue of $80 million, which was in violation of Scarlett’s contract. Marvel’s Chief Counsel, David Galluzzi, had assured the actress that the movie would be treated the same as the rest of the Marvel movies and would only be released in theatres. This was an issue particularly because Johansson’s salary is mainly from box office sales and, given the pandemic situation, it was likely that people would avoid cinemas. In estimate, Scarlett Johansson has lost $50 million but earned $20 million as a “basic” fee for the character.

Disney’s defender, Bob Chapek, explains that as a result of the impressive growth in talent, Disney wishes to resort to its dual methods of media launching and also due to the fact that there is a change in consumer behavior from the ongoing pandemic at the time of the debut. Disney seems to have come to new terms upon its marvel movie releases in an attempt to avoid the mistake of Black Widow.

Given the success of the first Asian American Marvel movie “Shang-chi” grossed at $247.6 million globally, Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Unit will be releasing the rest of the movies planned in 2021 in theaters. The condition is to play these movies in theaters exclusively for 45 days and after that period, the movies will be released on Disney+. These movies are to be released in theaters first are as follows: The Last Duel, Ron’s Gone Wrong, Eternals, West Side Story, and The King’s Man.

Contact Saiesha at saiesha.munuri@student.shu.edu