Disney Gave Jungle Cruise Filmmakers Options to Send the Dwayne Johnson Movie to Disney+

Disney's Jungle Cruise will set sail in theaters and on Disney+ on July 30, a decision reportedly [...]

By Cameron Bonomolo

Disney's Jungle Cruise will set sail in theaters and on Disney+ on July 30, a decision reportedly reached by the studio and the filmmakers behind the Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt-starring action-adventure. Johnson on Thursday announced Jungle Cruise, based on the iconic Disney theme park attraction, would be the fourth film to debut in theaters and on Disney Premier Access after the animated Raya and the Last Dragon, Emma Stone vehicle Cruella (out May 28), and Marvel Studios' Scarlett Johansson-led actioner Black Widow (out July 9). The $29.99-priced Premier Access launched in September with the live-action Mulan after Disney canceled that film's wide theatrical release domestically amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Disney presented the filmmakers behind Jungle Cruise with release options, according to a report from Deadline. Johnson produces Jungle Cruise through his Seven Bucks Productions alongside producing partners Dany Garcia (Johnson's Jumanji: The Next Level) and Hiram Garcia (Johnson's Black Adam), as well as John Davis (Game Night) of Davis Entertainment and Beau Flynn (Johnson's Skyscraper) of Flynn Picture Company.

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Jungle Cruise's simultaneous release in theaters and on Disney+ is due to the ongoing closures of such moviegoing markets as Europe and Brazil, according to the report. Disney's decision to release select films in theaters and on Disney+ Premier for an additional $29.99 fee, allowing subscribers to unlock unlimited access to the film for an exclusive three-month window, is reportedly temporary as the studio behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Endgame is looking to "revive the theatrical business," according to the report.

During The Walt Disney Company's Second Quarter financial results conference call on Thursday, CEO Bob Chapek said of the Disney+ streaming service, "Our robust collection of library titles allows us to continually attract new subscribers and retain existing ones. At the same time, we are also closely monitoring the recovery of theatrical exhibition as consumers begin to return to theaters."

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti, Disney's Jungle Cruise releases in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on July 30.

Inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park ride, Disney's Jungle Cruise is an adventure-filled, rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank's questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind's—hangs in the balance

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