Last week, we saw Universal get into a bit of a verbal war with the members of the National Association of Theater Owners and large cinema chains like AMC and Regal over the idea that the studio is beginning to see the advantage of straight-to-VOD releases. Now, it appears that Disney might be about to enter the fray as well.
Speaking to investors as part of a conference call yesterday (via Variety), Disney CEO Bob Chapek discussed the future of the studio’s distribution efforts and explained that the Mouse House is going to re-evaluate just how it releases films in the future.
“We very much believe in the value of the theatrical experience overall for large blockbuster movies,” Chapek said. “We also realize that either because of changing and evolving consumer dynamics or because of certain situations like COVID, we may have to make some changes to that overall strategy just because theaters aren’t open or aren’t open to the extent that anyone needs to be financially viable.”
He added, “We’re going to evaluate each one of our movies on a case-by-case situation.”
READ MORE: Bob Iger Says “A Few More” Disney Theatrical Films Could Be Sent Straight To Streaming
This news comes after the announcement that Disney was pulling “Artemis Fowl” from theaters and instead releasing the YA film directly on its streaming platform free for subscribers. Now, it appears that Disney is willing to look at each of the films that are scheduled to be released and deciding if VOD or streaming makes more sense than waiting for theaters to get back to “normal.”
Obviously, this is a big issue for theater owners that want to do everything possible to return to the status quo that existed before COVID-19. But with studios realizing that VOD and streaming isn’t a terrible option in a world where theaters remain closed and won’t be back to relative normalcy for a very long time, it makes sense that Disney has to decide if another strategy is better.
It’s also important to note that Chapek clearly delineates between “large blockbuster movies” and the rest of the Disney slate. Films such as Marvel Studios releases or big live-action remakes are obviously looking towards theatrical releases, as the studio isn’t ready to throw away potentially earning more than $1 billion on the big screen. But films like “Artemis Fowl,” which might not have huge box office futures could be skipping the big screen, entirely.
