Disney Plus snaps up Black Widow and Cruella for streaming-theatrical debuts

After adding a number of movies planned for theatrical releases to its new streaming service, Disney Plus will add Black Widow and Cruella to its list later this year. Disney announced today that Cruella will launch simultaneously in theaters and on Disney Plus on May 28. That will be followed by the long-awaited Black Widow, the first Marvel Cinematic Universe feature film in over a year, on July 9, again in both theaters and Disney Plus. 

That’s not all. Read on for even more Disney movies that are changing their dates, including one more Disney Plus debut. You can also sign up for the service now at the link below:

Cruella

This movie will star Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil, the legendary over-the-top villain of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians franchise. The film itself is set in the 1970s and will tell Cruella’s origin story, as she attempts to enter London’s huge fashion and design community with her own flair for the dramatic.

Cruella will be released in both theaters and on Disney Plus via its Premier Access model. You will need to pay an extra $29.99 to unlock the movie, on top of the normal Disney Plus monthly fee. Once unlocked, it can be streamed for as long as you are a subscriber to the service. The movie will be available to stream without the extra fee later in 2021.

Black Widow

This MCU film was originally set for release in May 2020. However, the coronavirus outbreak caused theaters to shut down, and Disney delayed the release of the superhero spy movie a number of times since then. Now, Disney is finally going to release the film in both theaters and Disney Plus on July 9. It stars Scarlett Johansson, who once again plays spy and Avenger Natasha Romanoff, in a tale that takes place before the events of Avengers: Endgame. Black Widow will also follow the Premiere Access business model on Disney Plus.

Read more: The best Marvel movies on Disney Plus

Luca

Luca is the next movie from Disney’s Pixar animation division. Set in a small town on the coast of Italy, it follows the summer of two boys who try to have the time of their lives. The twist? Both of them are secretly sea creatures who cloak themselves in human bodies, as the humans in the town distrust who they believe are sea monsters.

This movie will launch on Disney Plus June 18, and will not cost an extra fee for subscribers. It will also be released in theaters where the streaming service is not available.

Read more: The best Disney Pixar movies

Other Disney movie release date changes

Disney also announced a number of other movie release date updates, including many films that the company purchased via its 20th Century Fox acquisition. All of these movies are set for a theatrical release only:

• Free Guy: The comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a person who discovers he’s an NPC in a Grand Theft Auto-style video game is now due on August 13, 2021.
• Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: The martial arts-themed MCU movie will now be released on September 3, 2021.
• The King’s Man: The prequel to the Kingsman spy movies has again been pushed back to December 22, 2021.
• Deep Water: The murder mystery thriller, starring Ben Affleck, is being released on January 14, 2022.
• Death on the Nile: The Agatha Christie mystery adaptation will now come to theaters on February 11, 2022.