After the depth of social distancing quickly pushed a wave of big-budget movies onto streaming, theater exclusives became the norm again. Studios seemed to be falling into a new post-Corona rhythm for how long movies are kept in theaters before streaming them. Before.
But now, streaming release dates are all over the place. And with big movies like Marvel, waiting times are getting longer and longer.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will take longer to start streaming on Disney Plus than any other pandemic-era Marvel movie. This is Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels will hit theaters this year.
When is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever coming out?
Disney Plus will begin streaming the Black Panther sequel early Wednesday, beginning at 12:01 a.m. PT / 3:01 a.m. The streaming release date is more than three months after its theatrical release. I’m here.
How long will it take to stream Marvel’s next blockbuster movie?
It’s anyone’s guess, but it probably won’t be fast.
Last year, Marvel released three movies in theaters. Doctor Strange from Multiverse of Madness in May, Thor Love and Thunder in July, and Wakanda Forever in mid-November. It took Doctor Strange 47 days to reach Disney Plus. Thor Hits Disney Plus 62 days after its theatrical release.
Wakanda Forever currently takes 82 days to start streaming.
This is the longest time a Marvel movie has spent in theaters before streaming on Disney Plus since the company resumed limited theatrical release in 2021. That year, The Legend of Shang-Chi and the Tenlings hit theaters in his 70 days and The Eternals his 68 days.
(Coincidentally or not, the Marvel movie, which Disney gave the shortest theatrical run of its kind, was also the highest-grossing movie overall. Earned over $55 million (Wakanda Forever generated $840 million)
But Wakanda Forever may have been on hold for a long time from Disney Plus due to considerations that don’t apply to the next Marvel movie coming out this year. First day of Black History Month. Disney hasn’t said anything about timing relationships, but the wait for the film to start streaming may have been drawn out, so its availability coincided with a time to celebrate black culture.
Still, big Hollywood companies like Disney don’t put streaming subscriber growth as much of a priority, lowering the incentive to bring big movies to their service soon.
For example, Paramount shut down its Top Gun: Maverick streaming service for 209 days, or nearly seven months. This strategy paid off at the box office, with the Top Gun sequel grossing nearly $1.5 billion for him.
Disney has been much more aggressive in getting movies onto its streaming service quickly than Paramount, but now Disney is starting to show it may be holding off on big-budget movies in theaters longer. I’m here.
With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hitting theaters next month, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. may wait 3 months or more for streaming.
