The past month, Disney has made many changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, all Disney theme parks are closing their gates indefinitely to help keep guests safe during this time. In an interview Bob Iger gave this week, he hinted that we may see a different future for Disney theatrical releases that were to come soon.
In the interview, Iger talked about the decisions that were made to push Artemis Fowl directly to Disney+, when it was slated for theatrical release. On the other side of that coin, he discussed Onward and the impact that COVID-19 had on the timeline for release to fans at home. While both of these were unexpected moves by the Walt Disney Company, Iger has said that they continue to make a plan for the films that are yet to come. While they have moved many movies back, Bob Iger has said that we could see more films be released directly to the streaming service.
Of course, they will carefully decide which, if any films, will stream exclusively on the service instead of a traditional Disney theatrical release. In the interview, Iger said that for most of the films, they will simply wait for a slot to open up so they can debut the film as expected.
Though it is uncertain how many more films could debut on the streaming service, it is incredibly interesting to watch as history is made in front of us. This global pandemic is unlike anything we have ever seen and companies continue to find ways to innovate in response. This could be the beginning of a new way for us to watch movies!
As situations continue to develop, be sure to follow along on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook so you don’t miss anything as it happens.
