On November 12, 2019, The Walt Disney Company entered the streaming landscape that had already been shaped by companies like Netflix and HULU. Referred to by the entertainment industry as “non-linear programming,” viewers could watch anything that was available to them whenever they want. Within the first 12 months, Disney+ achieved its 90 million four-year subscriber target three years early.
Disney+ proved to be an important tool to connect its content to consumers. As more people stayed away from theaters and subscribed to streaming platforms during 2020 and 2021, titles originally intended to open at local theaters landed on Disney+. The platform allowed viewers to watch theatrical films, such as “Soul” and “Mulan,” during their first runs in the comfort of their own homes.
Due to the theatrical business model coming to a standstill, Disney pivoted and announced it was restructuring its media and entertainment divisions. The new focus was on a direct-to-consumer model, where many of its new films that were available in cinemas could also be viewed on Disney+ with a regular subscription or – depending on the size of the film – for an additional $30 fee.
Let’s All Go To The Movies
Back in 2019, the studio had a banner year at the box office with $13.1 billion in global ticket sales, including a record number of films that crossed the $1 billion mark. “Avengers: Endgame,” “The Lion King,” “Captain Marvel,” “Aladdin,” “Toy Story 4,” “Frozen II,” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” all hit the magic number during 2019.
With the recent success of theatrical-only releases of “Free Guy” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” it appears that Disney is ready to dip its toes back into the waters of exclusive theatrical distribution. However, putting movies back in theaters is not as simple as it sounds. There’s the difficult task of rescheduling a complicated slate of features due to production delays and other circumstances.
Raiders of the Theatrical Release
Originally scheduled for a 2022 summer release, the much anticipated untitled Indiana Jones sequel has been pushed back to June 2023. The change came as Disney announced its entire 2022 and 2023 slate of Marvel movies had been rescheduled. Four untitled movies for 2023 have been removed from the calendar, including one Disney live-action film, two Marvel projects, and one from 20th Century Studios.
Marvel’s portfolio is unique in that their films have a shared cinematic universe where each franchise is connected. One movie builds off the one that precedes it with characters and storylines crossing over from franchise to franchise. Due to this, when one film is rescheduled, it creates a domino effect with the other films. Episodic productions that air on network TV and streaming, such as “Loki” and “WandaVision,” are also connected to the films, so scheduling is a huge part of Marvel’s overall strategy.
Exclusively in Theaters
When Disney’s upcoming animated feature “Encanto” hits theaters November 24, it will have a 30-day exclusive theatrical release before becoming available on Disney+. “Eternals,” “The Last Duel,” “West Side Story” and “The King’s Man” will each have a minimum 45-day exclusive theatrical release before making their way to the streamer. It is not known if these films will require an additional fee for viewing once they become available on Disney+.
Let’s take a look at the current schedule for Disney’s theatrical films.
Eternals (November 5, 2021)
The Eternals, a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years, reunite to battle the evil Deviants. The film stars Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie. The film, budgeted at $200 million, is directed by Chloé Zhao.
Encanto (November 24, 2021)
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ story of a magical family living in the hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. Byron Howard (Zootopia and Tangled) and Jared Bush (Zootopia) direct.
West Side Story (December 10, 2021)
From 20th Century Studios, Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg directs his first musical in a reimagining of the iconic musical. The film stars Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Brian d’Arcy James, Corey Stoll, Josh Andrés Rivera, with Rita Moreno, and introducing Rachel Zegler.
The King’s Man (December 22, 2021)
20th Century Studios’ third installment of the period piece spy thriller acts as a prequel to 2015’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and 2017’s “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.” The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, and Tom Hollander. Matthew Vaughn returns to direct.
Deep Water (January 14, 2022)
20th Century Studios’ mystery thriller stars Ben Affleck as a man who becomes the prime suspect when his wife and mistress both go missing. Adrian Lyne (“Flashdance,” “Fatal Attraction”) directs the thriller.
Death on the Nile (February 11, 2022)
Kenneth Branagh stars and directs the retelling of the classic murder mystery by author Dame Agatha Christie. The film also stars Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, and Armie Hammer.
Turning Red (March 11, 2022)
A young girl uncontrollably morphs into a giant red panda at the most inopportune times. The film will feature the voices of Rosalie Chiang and Sandra Oh. Pixar’s “Turning Red” will also be the directorial debut of Domee Shi. Her short film “Bao” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2022)
Benedict Cumberbatch returns in the sequel to “Doctor Strange,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and is a crossover/sequel to “WandaVision” and “Loki.” Sam Raimi makes his directorial debut for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Bob’s Burgers (May 27, 2022)
The Belchers’ journey to the big screen will finally make it’s way to theaters in the musical adventure comedy. The film will feature the voices of H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, and Kristen Schaal.
Lightyear (June 17, 2022)
“Lightyear” is a science fiction action-adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy. The film reveals how a young test pilot became the Space Ranger that we all know him to be today. Chris Evans (“Knives Out,” “Avengers: Endgame”) lends his voice to Buzz. Angus MacLane (Finding Dory) will direct.
Disney and Pixar Launch ‘Lightyear’ Teaser Trailer… Let’s Take a Look!
Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2022)
Produced by Marvel Studios, the Taika Waititi directed “Thor: Love and Thunder” is the direct sequel to “Thor: Ragnarok” and the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film features an all-star cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Jaimie Alexander, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Sean Gunn, Jeff Goldblum, and Vin Diesel.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11, 2022)
The sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther” stars Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and Dominique Thorne. Ryan Coogler returns to provide writing and directing duties. Marvel has confirmed it will not recast Chadwick Boseman’s role of T’Challa.
Avatar 2 (December 16, 2022)
James Cameron returns to direct the sequel to his 2009 blockbuster. Jake Sully and Ney’tiri must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.
The Marvels (February 17, 2023)
The sequel to 2019’s “Captain Marvel” will be directed by Nia DaCosta, and star Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5, 2023)
The follow-up to 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and its 2017 sequel, Star-Lord and his group of misfits return for more action. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and Bradley Cooper reprise their roles.
The Little Mermaid (May 26, 2023)
Halle Bailey stars in the live-action adaptation of 1989’s animated classic, with Javier Bardem as her father King Triton and Melissa McCarthy as the villain Ursula. The musical fantasy film is directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Mary Poppins Returns”).
Indiana Jones 5 (June 30, 2023)
Harrison Ford returns as Indiana Jones in the final installment of the action-adventure franchise. James Mangold (“Ford v. Ferrari,” “Logan”) directs.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (July 28, 2023)
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is the third film in this franchise that stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton, and Jonathan Majorsbased. Peyton Reed returns to direct the third installment.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (December 22, 2023)
“Rogue Squadron” is the first standalone film to be released after the Skywalker saga made its final bow in theaters. The expansion of new storytelling in the Star Wars galaxy will be forthcoming.
The Business of Tentpoling
Some of you may have read or heard this term “tentpole” in articles about big studio releases. Films like “Toy Story” and “The Avengers,” which have the ability to bring in a huge payday at the box office, are called “tentpoles” by the studios.
In motion pictures, a tentpole is a event film that holds up a studio’s financial performance. These projects usually have large budgets, A-list talent, and heavy marketing campaigns. Toys and promotional tie-ins may also be part of the marketing and financial strategy.
If you are still asking where the term “tentpole” came from, it refers to the height of buzz generated before and after an event, as illustrated by a curve on a graph which looks similar to the shape of a circus tent.
Disney’s slate of films are very important to them, and it depends on them to support the overall health of the company, as well as create franchises that lead into additional streams of revenue.
The strategy of determining a film’s release date depends on many factors, such as determining when the audience for a film would most likely to attend to see the movie, and big studio release dates from other studios that could impact a film’s performance.
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Let’s Hear From You
Well folks, there’s two years of Disney films for you. It’s quite a slate. Which do you think have the potential to hit that billion dollar threshold and which will miss the mark? If you had to pick just three that you are most interested in, what would they be?
