Disney has confirmed that it will release “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in theaters in France on Nov. 9 in spite of the country’s strict windowing regulations.
The company previously decided to forgo the theatrical roll out of “Strange World” in France on Nov. 23 in favor of a launch on Disney+. The bold move was seen as an attempt to put pressure on upcoming negotiations to amend the windowing rules which are expected to kick off in January.
Under the current guidelines, which were established by the French government just nine months ago, Disney’s pay-VOD window is set at four months, and subscription-based streaming window at 17 months after films debut in theaters. The only way to bypass those French rules entirely is to forgo a release in cinemas.
A meeting was held under the guidance of the National Film Board a couple weeks ago to discuss changes to the guidelines. It appears to have given Disney hope for a significant change.
“Following the French authorities’ acknowledgement that the Media Chronology needs to be modernised and setting a clear timeline for those discussions, The Walt Disney Company will move forward with a French cinematic release of Black Panther : Wakanda Forever on 9 November,” said Disney in a statement sent by Variety. “Consequently, the film will not be available to Disney+ subscribers in France until Spring 2024, due to the current windowing framework.”
The banner said again that it believes “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.”
Disney said it will “remain actively engaged in the upcoming meetings and we will work closely with the CNC, the Ministry of Culture and the various other stakeholders in order to try and find a quick and equitable solution for all parties.”
The U.S. studio added that until the new windowing regulations are established, it will “continue to make future release decisions on a film-by-film basis.”
The fact that “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will come out in theaters comes as a huge relief for French exhibitors who were terrified by the prospect of missing out on Disney tentpoles which have been highly successful in France. In 2019, Disney accounted for as much as 23.4% of the market share. The French B.O. currently down 30% on last year, and exhibitors have argued that one of the primary reasons behind this drop is the dearth of high profile U.S. releases.
The prospect of a complete revamp of windowing rules is also a source of concern for independent filmmakers, producers and distributors in France who fear it will weaken their films’ access to theaters and financing resources. In France, each platform has specific investment obligations tied to its exclusive window, notably Canal+, which has committed $680 million in French and European films through 2024 to benefit from access to fresh films six months after their release.
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