Pixar’s Turning Red Skipping Theaters to Premiere Exclusively on Disney Plus

Disney will be sending its upcoming Pixar film, “Turning Red,” directly to Disney+ on March 11, skipping theaters. However, it will be released theatrically in international markets where Disney+ is not yet available, with premiere dates to be announced.

This will be the third Pixar film in a row to debut directly on the streamer and not in theaters. The other films that landed on Disney+ were “Soul” and “Luca.” The last Pixar film to have its day in theaters was 2020’s “Onward,” which premiered just days before most theaters in the United States shut down, severely impacting its run. 

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According to Disney, “Turning Red” will not be taking advantage of the streamer’s Premier Access platform and will be available for free to all subscribers. 

An Increase of Box Office Receipts

Some may wonder why “Turning Red” is being transitioned to streaming only, especially with news that the box office has made giant strides in its recovery.

Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney generated $1.17 billion at the domestic box office in 2021 with its library of tentpole pictures. Titles such as “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Black Widow,” and “The Eternals” have secured Disney’s position as the leader at the box office. 

Sony also had a banner year, which brought in a little north of $1 billion, more than half of which was brought in during December with “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” The film, a collaboration between Sony and Marvel, was easily the highest-grossing film of 2021 and is still seeing movement with ticket sales.

To give an overview of 2021’s domestic box office tally, the chart below ranks movies by the amount they earned during 2021:

1. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” – Sony Pictures – $613,600,664
2. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” – Walt Disney – $224,543,292
3. “Venom: Let There be Carnage” – Sony Pictures – $212,638,437
4. “Black Widow” – Walt Disney – $183,651,655
5. “F9: The Fast Saga” – Universal – $173,005,945
6. “Eternals” – Walt Disney – $164,694,432
7. “No Time to Die” – United Artists – $160,772,007
8. “A Quiet Place: Part II” – Paramount Pictures – $160,215,261
9. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” – Sony Pictures – $123,420,032
10. “Free Guy” – 20th Century Studios – $121,626,598 

Where box office receipts have been soft and slow to recovery during the past two years have been with family films.

During the first quarter of 2021 movie theaters began reopening their doors in large markets like New York City and Los Angeles. During that time, Disney debuted “Raya and the Last Dragon” concurrently in both theaters and Disney+ Premiere Access. The film didn’t perform well at the box office, bringing in $54.7 million. 

According to data from Comscore, a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics, the top animated family films of 2021 have been Universal’s “Sing 2,” with north of $97 million in box office receipts and Disney’s “Encanto,” which had a 30-day theatrical run and a $92 million haul before it became available on Disney+.

 

So far, an animated family film with a theatrical release hasn’t surpassed $100 million in domestic ticket sales since March 2020.

“Given the delayed box office recovery, particularly for family films, flexibility remains at the core of our distribution decisions as we prioritize delivering the unparalleled content of The Walt Disney Company to audiences around the world,” said Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney’s media and entertainment distribution.

Pixar and the Streaming Model

Disney has received criticism from those at Pixar for choosing to move their films to Disney+ and without utilizing the Premier Access platform. Titles like “Mulan” and “Black Widow” did receive the Premier Access treatment, which charged subscribers an additional $30 for viewing on initial release.

According to Screen Rant, several Pixar employees have made it clear that Disney’s position of moving their titles away from Premier Access sends a message that makes them feel undervalued.

However, being moved exclusively to streaming has not hurt Pixar’s visibility with the entertainment industry. Despite missing theaters, “Soul” was able to capture an Oscar, Annie, Golden Globe, and BAFTA for best animated feature. “Onward,” which didn’t win the Oscar, was also nominated in the same category.

To a Theater…and Beyond

“Lightyear,” the second Pixar title with a 2022 theatrical release date, is still scheduled to launch in theaters on June 17. There is no word if the company will pivot and move the film to Disney+. 

“Lightyear” will follow how the young test pilot became a space ranger and hero that spawned the Buzz Lightyear action figure made famous in Pixar’s Toy Story movies.

What About Turning Red

In the upcoming fantasy film, a young girl uncontrollably morphs into a giant red panda at the most inopportune times. The film will feature the voices of Rosalie Chiang and Sandra Oh. Pixar’s “Turning Red” will also be the directorial debut of Domee Shi. Her short film “Bao” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.

Here’s a short trailer. Let us know what you think: 

 

Let’s Hear From You

Are you and your family looking forward to Pixar’s “Turning Red”? What do you think about Disney sending “Turning Red” direct to Disney+ skipping both theaters and Disney’s own Premier Access? Would you like the opportunity to see this film in Theaters and do you think it deserves a chance to earn a legacy with recorded box-office?

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