We’ve known for some time now that starting from January 1st 2016 a new contract between Netflix and Disney comes into effect. We know the deal is in excess of a few billion dollars and it’s fantastic news. Over the past few months we’ve been learning more to what extent the deal would cover the contents of the Disney catalogue. Over the past couple of weeks we now know that all theatrical releases from Disney will appear on the Netflix catalogue roughly a few weeks after they stop showing in the theaters in the “pay 1” period.
Below is the theatrical release dates of all the titles scheduled to be released by Disney and their subsidiaries including Pixar, LucasFilm and Marvel Studios. The deal, scheduled to last for four years, will include every single one of the titles listed below coming to Netflix before anywhere else.
Sadly both of the big budget Disney movies scheduled to launch towards the end of this year including Star Wars VII : The Force Awakens and The Good Dinosaur don’t quite cover the criteria of the big deal meaning that Starz will still hold the rights to these titles going into 2016.
Note : We’ve listed the dates when the movie is set to be released in theaters. You should expect the movie to then appear on Netflix a few weeks after they come off of the box office. It’s not verified that every film will be covered in this list.
The Finest Hours (2016)
Theatrical Release – January 29th 2016
Disney’s year kicks off in 2016 with a live action movie based on a true story that happened in the early 1950’s. It’s based upon the Pendleton rescue mission where two oil tankers are destroyed by a storm and follows the rescue mission behind this event. A solid cast including Chris Pine, Casey Affleck and Holliday Grainger makes it a must watch.
Zootopia (2016)
Theatrical Release – March 4th 2016
In early March in the US, Zootopia will release and while it’s not quite the Madagascar competitor you may think it might be, it is worth watching how this one turns out. Based on a tale of a rabbit who must contend with dealing with a wily fox. The cast currently includes Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman and Shakira.
Jungle Book – Live Action (2016)
Theatrical Release – April 15th 2016
The Jungle Book to me remains one of Disney’s all time greats. That’s why I’m a little apprehensive to see that they’re doing a live action version of the cartoon. The trailer for it looks great though with a much darker tone than the animation. Scarlett Johansson is the star of the show though so keep an eye on this one when it launches next April.
Captain America : Civil War (2016)
Theatrical Release – May 6th 2016
The third Captain America film will have Cap carry straight on after the events of The Avengers : Age of Ultron. This means we’ll see what remains of The Avengers since they went their separate ways at the end of the last movie. Captain America on his own has resulted in an excellent first movie and a rather average second movie. We’ll wait to see how this turns out.
Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016)
Theatrical Release – May 27th 2016
Johnny Depp reprises his other Disney role in mid-2016 as he’ll be returning as The Mad Hatter for the second movie in the live action franchise. Alice in this story will be travelling back in time to rescue The Mad Hatter. A noticeable change for this movie is Tim Burton stepping down as director and opting to only be a producer. Will this be a factor for whether the film is a bust? Time will tell.
