Disney will split its new movies between theatrical releases and straight-to-streaming, with
“Flora and Ulysses” and
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” going directly to Disney+, while
“Raya and the Last Dragon” will stream the same day it opens in theaters. And while bigger movies such as Marvel’s
“Black Widow” and
“Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” will debut in theaters only, they’ll still hit Disney+ before the year’s end.
Overall, Disney+ seems to be taking a cue from HBO, which built its brand by always having at least one must-see, tentpole show airing at any one time you only need four or five of those to have year-round programming. Disney+ is taking that and doubling down. As loaded as 2021 will be, expect 2022 and beyond to be ridiculously stuffed, with multiple Marvel, “Star Wars” and Pixar series airing at the same time, all year long. That’ll be hugely appealing to viewers of all ages.