Recently, it was revealed that Disney was considering releasing the upcoming Disney+ Original movie, “Young Woman And The Sea” in cinemas first, before a streaming release and today, Deadline, has confirmed that due to the film testing so positively with audiences during test screenings, the movie will get a limited theatrical release.

The film tells the story of the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel. Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle made the 21-mile swim in 1926. The daughter of a German butcher from Manhattan, Ederle was a competitive swimmer who won gold in the 1924 Olympics when she decided to attempt crossing the channel. She undertook the feat after first swimming 22 miles from Battery Park in New York to Sandy Hook, NJ, setting a record that stood for 81 years. She contracted with two newspapers and sold her story, thereby financing her quest. There was actually a race among women who would be first to cross, as only five men had done so before.

This new film stars Daisy Ridley in the main role, and it also stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Christopher Eccleston and Jeanette Hain.   “Young Woman And The Sea” has been directed by Joachim Rønning, who has recently started filming the new “Tron” film.  Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman are producing the film.

With Disney having a lighter theatrical release schedule this year due to cutting back releases and the impact of last year’s Hollywood strikes, this will be a big test for Walt Disney Studios. With more focus on profitability, it’s likely we will see more films getting theatrical releases ahead of their streaming debuts. Disney is also doing something similar with the upcoming Hulu Original film, “Suncoast”, which is getting a short limited release from February 2nd, ahead of its streaming release on February 9th 2024.

“Young Woman And The Sea” will be released in cinemas on May 31st 2024, and will have a marketing campaign that will be tailored to a limited release (aka likely a small advertising budget).

Over the past few years, Disney, among other studios, has been experimenting with releasing more films on streaming services but has been finding a theatrical release first is not just helping make more money but is generally also helping with viewership since audiences look at theatrically released films better than straight to streaming.

Do you think it’s a good idea for Disney to release “Young Woman And The Sea” in cinemas first?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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