Disney is to release Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in French cinemas next month but has warned that future blockbusters may go straight to its streaming service, Disney+, unless France relaxes film distribution rules.
There had been speculation that the Hollywood studio might bypass cinemas with one of the most eagerly anticipated releases since before the coronavirus pandemic to put pressure on the French government to reform its highly restrictive rules.
After the release of the second Black Panther film on the big screen on 9 November, Disney will not be allowed to make it available to French subscribers to Disney+ until April 2024.
Subscribers will then have access to the film for only five months, after which it will not become available permanently on Disney+ until November 2025 – unless a deal is done with a French free-to-air broadcaster – three years after its premiere in cinemas.
“As we have stated before, we believe the chronology is anti-consumer and puts all studios at increased risk for piracy, which is why the majority of the stakeholders agree that it needs to be completely revised,” a spokesperson for Disney said.
Earlier this year, Disney took a stance against the French “windowing” system, which is designed to protect its industry and national TV industries, sending the animated action adventure Strange World straight to Disney+.
Films that are not released in French cinemas are not subject to the restrictive windowing regulations. In January, French film authorities shortened the window between film release and availability on subscription streaming services to 15 months but Disney was not a signatory of the new deal.
Disney said it had decided to push ahead with the cinema release of the Black Panther sequel because the French authorities have acknowledged that the windowing system “needs to be modernised”.
The next round of negotiations between the film, TV and streaming industry and the French government is expected to start in January.
“We will remain actively engaged in the upcoming meetings,” the spokesperson said. “In the meantime, we will continue to make future release decisions on a film-by-film basis.”
Like the rest of the industry, French cinema owners desperately need more blockbuster titles to drive a post-pandemic recovery. The French box office is down 30% compared with 2021 so far this year, and last month was the worst September for ticket sales in 42 years.
If Disney were to carry out its threat to go straight to streaming next year, the French cinema industry would miss out on a string of blockbusters including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, Indiana Jones 5, The Little Mermaid, The Marvels and Pixar’s Elemental.
Earlier this year, Netflix signed a deal with French cinema guilds that included investing a minimum of €40m (£35m) in at least 10 French and European films over the next three years – all of which will have a release in French cinemas – in exchange for reducing the window to 15 months from 36 months. Amazon agreed to 17 months.
