Encanto, The Last Duel, Eternals or West Side Story… Disney has decided to turn the page on containments linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. All of its films scheduled for release before the end of the year will first be shown in cinemas, thus raising doubts for many cinemas anxious to reconnect with their audiences.
The animated film Encanto will be released on the big screen on November 24, and will not appear on the Disney + video-on-demand platform until December 24. Other planned posters, such as The Last Duel by Ridley Scott, Eternals Marvel studios or the West Side Story by Steven Spielberg, will be reserved in cinemas for at least forty-five days.
The streaming release of big productions
This decision was eagerly awaited, as the entertainment empire recently chose to release simultaneously on Disney + a series of big productions like Black widow, Jungle Cruise and Cruella, thus diverting part of the revenues from traditional cinemas. Actress Scarlett Johansson, star of Black widow, has also sued Disney, accusing him of breach of contract having cost him millions of dollars.
Disney previously produced content for film and television. For two years, the Californian group has had direct access to its audience via streaming, and the rooms depend on its goodwill. Disney’s strategy is particularly watched because of the importance gained by streaming since the start of the pandemic and the weight of the giant in the industry.
After the successive acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, then 21st Century Fox and its nugget of the author’s cinema Fox Searchlight, two years ago, the giant could concentrate on certain markets, such as in the United States, up to 40 % of US box office revenue in 2019.
In mid-August, Disney boss Bob Chapek recalled his strategy to favor “Flexibility”, to be able “To follow the consumer wherever he goes”. And “When the theaters reopened, there was an immense reluctance from the public to come back”, he insisted during the presentation of the company’s financial results.
Warner Bros. Studios have also been heavily criticized for their decision to release all new 2021 movies on their HBO Max platform, even though they subsequently committed to a forty-five day exclusivity window. in theaters for next year.