Hamilton' Movie to Debut on Disney+ July 3
May 12 2020 - 11:11AM
Dow Jones News
By Erich Schwartzel
LOS ANGELES -- It'll be the living room where it happens.
Walt Disney Co. announced Tuesday it was fast-tracking the debut
of the Broadway juggernaut "Hamilton" to its Disney+ service, where
a filmed version of the blockbuster musical will begin streaming on
July 3.
Disney bought distribution rights to "Hamilton" earlier this
year, but hadn't planned to release it in theaters until October
2021.
Now "Hamilton" becomes the latest movie pushed to the service
amid the nationwide "stay-at-home" orders that have driven millions
of subscribers to Disney+. As the novel coronavirus outbreak closes
movie theaters and Disney theme parks, the streaming service --
launched only last November -- has been a bright spot for the
company.
Disney+ has more than 50 million subscribers, and the release of
"Hamilton" will likely boost those numbers. Since its Broadway
debut in 2015, the musical has won 11 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer
Prize for drama, and its cast recording became the rare theater
recording to cross over into mainstream success.
Years after its opening, tickets to the show still cost several
hundred dollars a pop -- at least until Broadway theaters
temporarily shut down in March -- making the prospect of seeing the
show at home especially appealing to consumers.
The version of "Hamilton" screening on Disney+ was filmed in
2016 with the musical's original cast, including creator Lin-Manuel
Miranda in the title role.
"Hamilton" also gives Disney+ a significant new offering to
market as its subscriber count continues to climb. The service
faces a coming programming crunch, as production on several
high-profile shows scheduled to debut later this year has shut
down.
Another Disney movie planned for summer release, "Artemis Fowl,"
is skipping the theater and heading to Disney+ later this year.
Disney Executive Chairman Robert Iger has indicated more titles
will follow a similar route as theaters remain closed to new movies
until mid-July.
Among the studio movies postponed by the pandemic: a big-screen
adaptation of Mr. Miranda's previous Broadway show, "In the
Heights." That film, to be released by AT&T Inc.'s Warner
Bros., was supposed to come out this summer but will now hit
screens in June 2021.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 12, 2020 10:56 ET (14:56 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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