Walt Disney Studios Announces Upcoming Film Release Schedule
Disney have unveiled its upcoming slate following the recent acquisition of the Fox film studios, which include many changes to previously dated films and a number of major additions.
After kicking off with the record-setting success of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame, The Walt Disney Studios’ 2019 summer slate includes Disney’s Aladdin on May 24, Fox’s Dark Phoenix on June 7, Pixar’s Toy Story 4 on June 21, Fox’s Stuber on July 12, and Disney’s The Lion King on July 19. Fox 2000’s The Art of Racing in the Rain moves up to Aug. 9, and Fox Searchlight’s Ready or Not will release on Aug. 23, while three films move to later dates: Ad Astra (9/20/19), The New Mutants (4/3/20), and Artemis Fowl (5/29/20).
The Studios’ 2019 slate rounds out with Fox’s The Woman in the Window on Oct. 4 and Ford V. Ferrari on Nov. 15, Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil on Oct. 18 and Disney Animation’s Frozen 2 on Nov. 22, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on Dec. 20, and Blue Sky Studios’ Spies in Disguise, moving from September to Christmas. Among early 2020 titles are Fox’s Underwater on Jan. 10, a new Kingsman movie on Feb. 14, and Call of the Wild on Feb. 21, followed by Pixar’s Onward on March 6 and Disney’s Mulan on March 27.
The updated calendar also sets release dates for major franchises Avatar and Star Wars. With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker bringing the original Skywalker Saga to its conclusion, three new as-yet-untitled Star Wars films will release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2022. Four forthcoming Avatar films, expanding the vibrant world of Pandora, will release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2021. In the holiday corridor for 2020, Fox’s West Side Story adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg, will debut Dec. 18 in the pre-Christmas slot, with Disney’s Cruella opening Wednesday, Dec. 23, for the long holiday weekend.
“We’re excited to put in place a robust and diverse slate that lays the foundation of our long-term strategy, bringing together a breadth of films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox, Fox Searchlight, and Blue Sky Studios to create an extraordinary collection of cinematic experiences for audiences around the world,” said Cathleen Taff, President, Theatrical Distribution, Franchise Management, and Business & Audience Insights, The Walt Disney Studios. “With a strong summer already in place, we are eager to carry that momentum forward over the coming years thanks to a creative wellspring of bold and imaginative stories coming from our world-class studios – including several new chapters of two revered franchises, Avatar and Star Wars.”
Here is the complete Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Release Schedule:
2019 Films
05/10/19: Tolkien (FSL)
05/24/19: Aladdin (DIS)
06/07/19: Dark Phoenix (FOX)
06/21/19: Toy Story 4 (DIS)
07/12/19: Stuber (FOX)
07/19/19: The Lion King (DIS)
08/09/19: The Art of Racing in the Rain (FOX)
08/23/19: Ready or Not (FSL)
09/20/19: Ad Astra (FOX)
10/04/19: The Woman in the Window (FOX)
10/18/19: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (DIS)
11/15/19: Ford v. Ferrari (FOX)
11/22/19: Frozen 2 (DIS)
12/20/19: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (DIS)
12/25/19: Spies in Disguise (FOX)
2020 Films
01/10/20: Underwater (FOX)
02/14/20: Untitled Kingsman Movie (FOX)
02/21/20: Call of the Wild (FOX)
03/06/20: Onward (DIS)
03/27/20: Mulan (DIS)
04/03/20: The New Mutants (FOX)
05/01/20: Untitled Marvel (DIS)
05/29/20: Artemis Fowl (DIS)
06/19/20: Untitled Pixar Animation (DIS)
07/03/20: Free Guy (FOX)
07/17/20: Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
07/24/20: Jungle Cruise (DIS)
08/14/20: The One and Only Ivan (DIS)
10/09/20: Death on the Nile (FOX)
11/06/20: Untitled Marvel (DIS)
11/25/20: Untitled Disney Animation (DIS)
12/18/20: West Side Story (FOX)
12/23/20: Cruella (DIS)
2021 Films
02/21/21: Untitled Marvel (DIS)
03/05/21: Nimona (FOX)
03/12/21: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
05/07/21: Untitled Marvel (DIS)
05/28/21: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
06/18/21: Untitled Pixar Animation (DIS)
07/09/21: Untitled Indiana Jones (DIS)
07/30/21: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
10/08/21: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
11/05/21: Untitled Marvel (DIS)
11/24/21: Untitled Disney Animation (DIS)
12/17/21: Avatar 2 (FOX)
2022 Films
02/18/22: Untitled Marvel (DIS)
03/18/22: Untitled Pixar (DIS)
05/06/22: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
06/17/22: Untitled Pixar (DIS)
07/08/22: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
07/29/22: Untitled Marvel (DIS)
10/07/22: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
11/04/22: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
11/23/22: Untitled Disney Animation (DIS)
12/16/22: Untitled Star Wars (DIS)
2023 Films
02/17/23: Untitled Disney Live Action (DIS)
12/22/23: Avatar 3 (FOX)
2024 Films
12/20/24: Untitled Star Wars (DIS)
2025 Films
12/19/25: Avatar 4 (FOX)
2026 Films
12/18/26: Untitled Star Wars (DIS)
2027 Films
12/17/27: Avatar 5 (FOX)
Disney movies will still have to go through their theatre and home video release schedule before they are added to Disney+, which is expected to be 6 to 8 months after their initial cinema release.
What movie are you most excited for?