The movie viewing experience has changed a lot in the almost-two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started. It resulted in theaters across the country shutting their doors, some permanently, as studios delayed their big blockbuster films or took them straight to streaming. Once theaters did start to slowly open back up the day and date release model was adapted by most major studios, with Disney chief among them. While it looked like those days were behind the studio as films like Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals released exclusively to theaters these last few months, that may not be the case for every film moving forward, as Disney CEO Bob Chapek revealed during the company’s recent Q4 earnings call.

“We’re sticking with our plan of flexibility," said Chapek. "We’re still unsure in terms of how the marketplace is going to react when family films come back with a theatrical first window." To Chapek’s credit, it is reasonable to be cautious with the current film landscape. While big blockbuster films like the previously mentioned Eternals, which just made over $70 million in its opening weekend, seem to be doing good business, family films are still the biggest question mark for the theatrical market.

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Image via Disney

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The latest animated film the company released with 20th Century Studios' Ron’s Gone Wrong did not do well at the box office. Exclusively releasing in theaters, it only made about $18 million in its opening weekend and it has made just over $47 million worldwide thus far. Making an animated kids movie is not cheap and these numbers most likely did not make the film’s budget back. However, in terms of the official Disney-made animated films, the next test for the studio is Encanto which will release in theaters on November 24.

“While COVID will be in the rearview mirror, God willing, I think change in consumer behavior will be more permanent,” said Chapek on the same call, “We’re watching very, very carefully different types of movies to see how the different components of the demographics of that market come back." The pandemic situation has changed on a dime within the last year, and while the next new Marvel film is probably a safe bet to be released exclusively in theaters, any movies geared toward a younger audience will likely be treated on a case-by-case basis in terms of theatrical exclusivity. Chapek went on by saying:

"You’ll notice that the films we are putting into the marketplace that are theatrical and are family films have a fairly short window. We’re doing that so we can get our films quicker to Disney+, but at the same time, see if the theatrical market can kick back into full gear as we prime the pump with these films."

Chapek finished by stating, “We don’t announce our films that far in advance like we used to because we know we’re in a time of flux and change." Ultimately, the future of Disney kids' films going theatrical-only is uncertain, but they are not the only studio to do this in recent months. MGM Studios released The Addams Family 2 last month in theaters and via online rental, with Paramount joining that same party this week with the release of Clifford the Big Red Dog on Paramount+ as well as theaters.

Disney has released many films day and date this past year like Raya and the Last Dragon, Jungle Cruise, Cruella, and Marvel's Black Widow. While this approach has gotten them into legal trouble with the likes of Scarlett Johansson and that strategy has been hit and miss for the studio, mainly due to the extra $30 price tag to rent the films on top of the Disney+ subscription fee, for now, Disney will continue to look at each of their films individually to see which release strategy is best for them.

With the release window getting smaller by the day and the Disney+ subscriber base getting larger by the minute, having the opportunity to see the next Disney animated film exclusively in theaters after Encanto might be a fever dream at this point. However, as Chapek said, their plans are flexible and plans are designed to change at a moment's notice. Hopefully, with kids under the age of 12 now being able to get vaccinated, families will be more willing to go back to the theater. For all the latest news surrounding the latest Disney releases, stick with Collider.