Disney announced Friday that all of its films slated for release by the end of the year will be exclusively screened in cinemas first, bringing relief to theaters anxious to reconnect with audiences after the coronavirus pandemic devastated their industry.
The animated film “Encanto” will be released on the big screen on November 24 and will not appear on Disney’s on-demand video platform until December 24, the company said in a statement.
Other planned projects, including “The Last Duel” by Ridley Scott, “Eternals” by Marvel Studios and “West Side Story” by Steven Spielberg, will be screened in theaters for at least 45 days before they are released elsewhere.
The decision was eagerly awaited by traditional cinemas after the entertainment giant recently chose to release a series of big productions such as “Black Widow”, “Jungle Cruise” and “Cruella” on its Disney+ platform, diverting part of their revenue.
“Black Widow” actor Scarlett Johansson has sued Disney, accusing the company of breach of contract and costing her millions of dollars in box office revenue after it released the film on its video platform.
Two years ago, Disney was producing content for both theaters and television channels, but it now has direct access to its audience via streaming, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.
In mid-August, Disney boss Bob Chapek said he favored “flexibility” and the ability to “follow the consumer wherever he goes”.
During a presentation of the company’s financial results, he said “when theaters reopened, there was immense reluctance from the public to return”.
Warner Bros. studios has also been heavily criticised for its decision to release all of its new movies for the rest of the year on its HBO Max platform.
Things had already taken a turn for worse when season four cliffhanger showed Sierra taking charge after taking the Professor hostage. As the team’s contact with the mastermind cuts off, they look for alternatives. Lisbon partly manages to take control of the situation but is clueless about how to keep her gang members motivated as the army ambushes the royal mint. The distorted storyline becomes boring at this point as panic takes over. The robbers try finding a way out to stay alive while General Tamayo works for personal gains. He calls off the army backup in the middle of a bloody war.
Season 5 also sheds light on the backstories of Berlin, Tatiana and the former’s long-lost son Rafael. We are yet to see whether Berlin’s backstory, which has been dragged for the last two seasons, will reach any fruitful conclusion. We also see Tokyo’s one true love, Rene. Tokyo’s past life comes into play, as we see her character more closely and how she caught the eye of the Professor in the first place.
