Marvel recently surprised everyone with the announcement that freshly released in cinemas Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would begin streaming on Disney+ after just a month and a half on the big screen.

Disney have also announced that in order to circumvent French law which requires a 17 month delay between cinematic and streaming release, Strange World will not have a cinematic release in France.

We thought that the Doctor Strange decision might have been motivated by a desire to maximise sales of computer game Midnight Suns which according to a leak features the two main characters from the film and will release in early October.

But in a statement to Deadline Disney specifically cite piracy as the major concern in relation to Strange World:

Strange World will be available to all Disney+ subscribers in France, foregoing a French cinematic release. While we support French cinema — and have for decades — the new, cumbersome media chronology is anti-consumer, ignoring how behavior has evolved over the last several years and puts us at increased risk for piracy. We will continue to make decisions on a film-by-film basis and according to each market’s unique conditions.

So that may also have been a factor for Doctor Strange and maybe we'll see a similarly quick transition to Disney+ for Thor: Love and Thunder.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in cinemas now and will arrive on Disney+ on June 22.

Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive in Australian cinemas on July 6.

Strange World will premiere in Australian cinemas on November 24.

[ Main Image: Strange World teaser. Credit: Disney via YouTube. ]

References

Tartaglione, Nancy (June 7, 2022). Disney Balks At “Anti-Consumer” French Windows: Will Bypass Theatrical On ‘Strange World’ In Market, Evaluate Future Films On Rolling Basis. Deadline.

Tartaglione, Nancy (June 8, 2022). French Exhibitors’ Org Decries Disney’s Move To Bypass Cinemas With ‘Strange World’. Deadline.