Marvel Studios has announced that its latest movie, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, will be arriving on Disney+ later on June 22. The sequel to 2016's Doctor Strange hit theaters on May 6.
This clocks in at just slightly longer than the 45-day theatrical exclusive window that has been used for other more recent feature-length installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, like Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings and Eternals. Back in July 2021, Black Widow was released as a premium add-on for Disney+ on the same day it premiered in theaters.
While Spider-Man: No Way Home preceded Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, it was distributed by Sony rather than Disney and is currently only available for purchase or rental. It is not included on any streaming services yet.
Though a 90-day theatrical window has historically been the industry standard, the continuing pandemic has led studios to make movies available at home sooner, as many audiences have not resumed their 2019 viewing habits. While Multiverse Of Madness still raked in a considerable haul at the box office, its release date coincided with a significant uptick in infection rates in many markets.
Over the past couple of years, Disney sent Soul, Luca, and Turning Red directly to streaming. On June 17, Lightyear will be the first Pixar title to get a wide theatrical debut since Onward.
Warner Bros. made all of its 2021 releases simultaneously available in theaters and on HBO Max. The studio has since moved to a 45-day window.
Paramount films have been getting a 45-day run in cinemas before going to Paramount+, though the recently released Top Gun: Maverick is set to be a theater exclusive for an eye-watering 120 days. (Big Movie. Big Screen.)
June 22 is a Wednesday, meaning Multiverse Of Madness will hit Disney+ on the same day as a new episode of Ms. Marvel. Let the wild speculation about how the two MCU properties will cross over begin!