Former Disney CEO Bob Iger Confirms Some Films Will Go Directly To Disney+; Others Will Wait For Theatrical Releases

With the film industry practically at a standstill, and nearly all cinemas closed indefinitely the world over, many people, journalists included, began to wonder what the future of cinema would be. Will the studios weather the storm and hold out on releasing their projects until theaters reopened? Or was the ease of access combined with the masses trapped inside their homes enough of a reason for studios to begin uploading movies initially intended for theaters to Video On Demand services, or sell them to streaming services? For Disney, the answer is both.

Former Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger confirms that some of their smaller films will be headed for Disney+, while others will wait until the pandemic passes to be released in theaters. Films such as Onward, which had only a few weeks in theaters before Stay at Home Orders swept across the nation found themselves landing on their feet on the Disney+ streaming service. Iger was a bit coy about which films would wind up on the streaming service in the near future, but one confirmed a few weeks ago was Artemis Fowl.

As for the “tentpole Disney films,” as Iger labelled them, these films will wait to release once theaters reopen. It has already been confirmed that the Marvel Studios films will release in theaters after Marvel announced new release dates. Mulan, is a film that will only be released in theaters, as well. One film that fans have clamored over for literal years, New Mutants, will most likely wind up in theaters. If Disney decided to send it to streaming, an old deal between Fox and HBO would force the superhero horror flick to stream on HBO’s streaming services.

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Written By: Zach Smith (@omega_fist)

Source: Barrons