Eternals will not be releasing on Disney Plus at the same time it hits theaters, according to a new report.
Former The Hollywood Reporter editor Matt Belloni said in his newsletter 'What I'm Hearing' that Disney CEO Bob Chapek and distribution chief Kareem Daniels have decided the next Marvel movie will be a theatrical exclusive. That means that, if confirmed, the film won't be landing on Premier Access like Black Widow, and will instead follow in the footsteps of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
This isn't a huge surprise, considering Shang-Chi smashed Labor Day weekend box office records. Black Widow, meanwhile, suffered a huge drop in its second weekend, and is looking to be one of Marvel's lowest grossing releases. Then there's Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit, which alleges Disney breached her contract with the simultaneous release strategy – and might be a roadblock to the Russo brothers returning for another Marvel movie.
Chapek previously called Shang-Chi's release strategy an "interesting experiment," which star Simu Liu seemingly responded to on Twitter. The film will remain in theaters for 45 days before heading to Disney Plus in October.
Plenty of movies have ended up going day-and-date this year, like Warner Bros.' entire release slate – which includes Dune, Matrix 4, and The Suicide Squad – and it was recently announced that Halloween Kills will also be streaming on Peacock the day of its theatrical release.
Eternals has a star-studded cast, featuring Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, and Gemma Chan. The film focuses on the titular ancient superheroes, who decide to intervene in human history for the first time ever. They'll be up against the monstrous Deviants, with Kro shaping up to be the big bad of the movie.
The film is due for release this November 5. Until then, check out our guide to Marvel Phase 4 to see everything else the MCU has in store for us, and find the best Disney Plus prices and deals.
