The Marvels has finally arrived in theaters – and fans are already asking one big question: when will the superhero film make its Disney Plus debut?
It's a burning query that needs addressing, especially if you're not fussed about seeing The Marvels – one of 2023's final big new movies – in cinemas. The third and final Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film of the year hasn't been universally well received so far, with its critical Rotten Tomatoes score sitting at a mixed 60%. We wouldn't blame you, then, if you decide to wait for its official streaming release.
So, when will The Marvels take flight on Disney Plus? The short answer is: we don't know. It only arrived in theaters worldwide on November 10, so it'll be a while before Marvel's latest flick makes the jump from the big screen to the small one.
That doesn't mean we can't speculate on when it'll launch on Disney's primary streaming service, though. We bet you're curious to find out when we think it'll make landfall on Disney Plus, so read on to learn more.
When will The Marvels be released on Disney Plus?
As we mentioned up top, we're unsure when the the newest Marvel Phase 5 movie will be available to stream. However, we believe The Marvels will eventually join the platform in February 2024 – and there's some evidence to suggest we're on the right track.
Take Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, for example. This MCU Phase 4 movie debuted in theaters in November 2022, and didn't make it onto Disney Plus until February of this year. That means there was a three-month gap between Black Panther 2's release in cinemas and it making its way onto our new Disney Plus movies list in early 2023.
More recent Marvel movies have followed that three-month release pattern, too. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released in theaters in February 2023 before shrinking down to size on Disney Plus in May. Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 took a cosmic detour onto the streaming giant in August – three months after its original theatrical release in May.
Be there for the moment that changes everything.Watch the final trailer for #TheMarvels, in theaters this Friday. Get tickets now: https://t.co/AzHO2t7bWM pic.twitter.com/lnlj98pNrwNovember 7, 2023
If The Marvels continues that trend, you'll be able to watch it on one of the world's best streaming services next February.
That said, Marvel could throw us a release date curve ball, especially if The Marvels fails to ignite the box office. Per Variety, it's on course to make $60 million to $65 million in the US during its opening weekend, which would make it the lowest-grossing MCU movie since 2015's Ant-Man, and would be a disastrous start for a film that reportedly cost an eye-watering $270 million to make (via Forbes).
There are plenty of other big-hitters set to compete for audiences' attention at the box office very soon, too. The Hunger Games prequel movie, Disney's latest animated flick Wish, and Ridley Scott's historical epic Napoleon, which stars Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix, will be released by November 22. The Marvels, then, really needs a solid start ticket sales-wise, or it'll struggle to recoup its costs if viewers opt to spend their hard-earned cash elsewhere.
Should The Marvels crash and burn, it might be in Disney's best interests to pull it from theaters and add it to Disney Plus' film library. That said, Doctor Strange 2 made $955 million worldwide and launched on the streamer just six weeks after its big screen debut, so box office success isn't always a primary factor in determining a movie's Disney Plus arrival.
Still, we're sticking with our February 2024 launch window prediction for The Marvels. If we're right, great. If not, no matter. We'll just be glad to see it join its Marvel brethren on Disney's main streaming service, even if we don't think it'll be a high-ranking entry in our best Marvel movies guide.
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