Some people thought the era of day-and-date movie releases was over, but thanks to explosive rises of coronavirus infections throughout the United States, it seems like Hollywood studios might be returning to premiering their movies exclusively on streaming services. If that’s true, then Disney will be leading the movement, and it’s just announced that Pixar’s next film, Turning Red, will be available solely on Disney+ instead of in theatres.
This will be the third Pixar movie in a row to be released solely on the streaming service, which would almost seem vindictive if it weren’t for the pandemic — which Disney cites as the reason for its decision. “Disney+ subscribers around the world enthusiastically embraced Pixar’s Academy Award-winning Soul and the critically-acclaimed Luca when they premiered exclusively on the service and we look forward to bringing them Pixar’s next incredible feature film Turning Red,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution. “Given the delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films, flexibility remains at the core of our distribution decisions as we prioritise delivering the unparalleled content of the Walt Disney Company to audiences around the world.”
Turning Red, which is about a 13-year-old girl named Mei Mei who turns into a giant red panda whenever she’s excited (which is a lot), will still premiere on March 11. Whether it will be available for free to Disney+ subscribers or will be a Disney Premium release that costs extra has not yet been revealed.
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Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.