Disney’s Plan for Theater Releases

Not only is the coronavirus devastating movie theaters, studios themselves have been hit hard by the pandemic. The Hollywood Reporter estimated in March that the coronavirus pandemic could cause upwards of $20 billion in losses to the film industry through May. Of course, as the pandemic lingers, that number will continue to rise.

Movie studios have been attempting to navigate the new normal by releasing some of their theatrical releases through on-demand channels, with varying success. Most major movie release dates have been pushed back and postponed so they’ll have their day in theaters. That includes Disney’s blockbuster launches for 2020. Currently, Disney has pushed almost all of its theatrical releases back, but has acknowledged the studio is evaluating each movie individually. Of course, Disney+ plays a big part in the equation. The service, which saw a huge surge in subscribers after stay-at-home orders took effect, has exceeded 50 million (up from 26+ million in February). That makes the streaming service an increasingly viable option for Disney in the weeks and months to come.