The latest big-budget Pixar film debuts today, but in a sign of the times, Turning Red will be bypassing theatres and landing directly on the Disney+ streaming platform.
“While theatres have generally reopened, we are still experiencing a prolonged recovery in theatrical exhibition, particularly for certain genres of films, including nonbranded general entertainment and family-focused animation,” Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy told investors last month.
Disney’s last animated smash, Encanto, hit cinemas over the once-lucrative Thanksgiving weekend, but failed to recoup its US$300 million debut in the all-important opening weekend, netting a disappointing US$249 million.
The film, however, enjoyed an extraordinary afterlife on streaming services, remaining the most-watched streaming film for a month, with the soundtrack hitting #1 in the US Billboard charts.
‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’, the Lin-Manuel Miranda-written song from the film, has become Disney’s most successful song ever, topping the charts in the US and UK. The song’s music and lyric videos were watched 40 million times within a week of the film appearing on Disney+.
It’s clear where these movies thrive.
“We’d love for theatrical to come back for family movies,” Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek told Bloomberg last month.
“We hope it does, but if it doesn’t we know that we’re very secure in being able to use our own platform Disney+ to help do that.”
