Here we go again: Disney has — once again — reworked its upcoming movie release schedule.
The biggest news to come out of this shakeup is that Marvel Studio’s Black Widow will be available both in-theaters and for $30 with Disney+ Premier Access starting on July 9. The first movie in Phase Four of the MCU, Black Widow was originally slated to debut last May and most recently had a release date of May 7, 2021. What’s two more months when we’ve already waited almost a year?
Black Widow isn’t the only movie joining the Premier Access club: the live-action 101 Dalmations origin story Cruella will also receive a joint theatrical and paid Disney+ release, on May 28.
Finally, Disney and Pixar’s Luca is getting a release similar to that of Soul. It will skip a theatrical release entirely and debut on Disney+ on Friday, June 18 for no additional fee.
As a result of these changes, a few other Disney release dates had to shift. Updated release dates are:
- Free Guy:Â Aug. 13
- Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:Â Sept. 3
- The King’s Man:Â Dec. 22
- Deep Water:Â Jan. 14, 2022
- Death on the Nile:Â Feb. 11, 2022
For the Marvel fans keeping track at home, the current MCU theatrical release dates are as follows:
- Black Widow:Â July 9 (also on Disney+ Premiere Access)
- Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:Â Sept. 3
- Eternals:Â Nov. 5
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:Â March 25, 2022
- Thor: Love and Thunder:Â May 6, 2022
- Black Panther 2:Â July 8, 2022
- “Untitled Marvel” Film: Oct. 7, 2022
- Captain Marvel 2:Â Nov. 11, 2022
- “Untitled Marvel” Films in 2023: Feb. 17, May 5, July 28, Nov. 3
With these shifts, Cruella has replaced Black Widow as the studio’s first major domestic theatrical release since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Searchlight horror flick The Night House (July 16) and Jungle Cruise (July 30) are the first theatrical releases on the studio’s schedule that won’t have a concurrent Disney+ Premiere Access offer.
While Disney has not released data to indicate how many subscribers paid the $30 fee to watch Raya and the Last Dragon or Mulan, the studio referenced “the successful release of Raya and The Last Dragon” in its official rescheduling announcement. Plus, the company apparently deems the release model successful enough to use for a title as significant as Black Widow.
It will be interesting to see, as movie theaters and the entertainment industry begin to return to a post-pandemic “normal,” whether Disney will continue to utilize Disney+ Premier Access for any of its new releases.
