The Disney summer schedule shuffle sees new dates and more choices for several titles

To quote Disney themselves (from the press release):

… new release details for a number of titles on Walt Disney Studios’ upcoming slate of films. The announcement updates rollout details for the forthcoming Disney live-action Cruella, Marvel Studios’ Black Widow and Disney and Pixar’s Luca, and also includes revised premiere dates for several other titles.

Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, goes on to add:

Today’s announcement reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences. By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic marketplace that is beginning to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled storytelling to fans and families around the world,

In other words there’s a balance to be struck between getting titles released to an audience and maximising the revenue. They are repeating an approach they used with Raya and the Last Dragon; in other words Cruella will release first in theatre and Disney Premier Access on May 28, and the approach will also apply to Black Widow, arriving on July 9. The film Luca will kick off the main Disney summer schedule on June 18.

What is Disney Premier Access?

Premier Access lets you watch a film early by paying more. The question is: how much more? The answer is it can depend; though in the UK expect a title to cost £20 as a budget. That’s a lot of investment to catch a film a few weeks (months?) ahead of wider availability, but as a business model makes a lot of sense and costs little to implement (there will be more piracy). For individuals this is an investment; if several people can get together (and want to watch the same thing) it’s not so dramatic, and lets you make an ‘event’ out of watching, much like going to a cinema.

The press release also tells of changes to schedules for: Free Guy, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The King’s Man, Deep Water and Death on the Nile.