The rest of Disney's 2021 films will be released solely in theaters

The Walt Disney Company (DIS.N) announced on Friday that “Eternals,” “West Side Story,” and the remainder of its 2021 films will be released exclusively in theaters before being released on streaming, indicating that the company believes that moviegoing will recover.

The rest of Disney’s 2021 films will be released solely in theaters

During the epidemic, the firm experimented with releasing several films on the Disney+ streaming service at the same time they were released in theaters. As the Delta variant postponed customers’ return to multiplexes, cinema operators have been anxiously watching how Disney, which has dominated movie box office in recent years, will handle its next slate. In a statement, Disney said that the animated musical “Encanto” will be released in theaters for 30 days beginning November 24 and will be available on Disney+ shortly before Christmas. The story follows a family who lives in a wonderful house in Colombia’s mountains. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” composed the music for it. All other Disney films, including Marvel’s “Eternals” in November and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” revival in December, will be released exclusively in theaters for at least 45 days, according to the firm.

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” a Marvel picture, just smashed a Labor Day weekend box office record with $94.7 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada. The film, which starred Simu Liu and Awkwafina and had a largely Asian cast, was only released in theaters. However, movie attendance for the year is still significantly below pre-pandemic levels. AMC Entertainment (AMC.N), Cineworld Plc (CINE.L), and Cinemark Holdings Inc (CNK.N) are depending on large fall and winter releases to get people back to their theaters. In October, Disney will release historical drama “The Last Duel” and animation comedy “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” and in December, action spy picture “The King’s Man.”