Disney’s Remaining 2021 Slate to Skip Disney+ Premier Access, Will Debut Exclusively in Theaters For 30-45 Days

Disney announced that the remaining films on their 2021 slate won’t be available through Disney+ Premier Access. Instead, The Last Duel (October 15), Ron’s Gone Wrong (October 22), Eternals (November 5), Enancto (November 24), West Side Story (December 10), and The King’s Man (December 22) will head to theaters first.
With the exception of “Encanto”, which will arrive on Disney+ just 30-Days after its theatrical bow, meaning you will be able to stream it over the Christmas holiday, the rest will have a 45-day window before being available to stream
“Following the tremendous box office success of our summer films which included five of the top eight domestic releases of the year, we are excited to update our theatrical plans for the remainder of 2021,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution. “As confidence in moviegoing continues to improve, we look forward to entertaining audiences in theaters, while maintaining the flexibility to give our Disney+ subscribers the gift of Encanto this holiday season.”
After the theatrical success of ‘Shang-Chi’, there was much uncertainty about the future of Premier Access. And at least for the rest of 2021, it’s clear that Disney is sticking to a more traditional model for now.
Premier Access has been a mixed bag under the Disney umbrella. Black Widow amassed $60 million in Premier Access sales its opening weekend, the highest totals in the service’s brief history, while Jungle Cruise reached $30 million in sales. However, the Premier Access of “Mulan”, “Raya”, and “Cruella” were apparently mixed.
Taking this approach, protects their theatrical window, while also being able to bring films to their streaming platform at no extra charge just 30-45 days after they appear on the big screen.