Disney Moves 'Hamilton' From Theaters To Disney+ & Sets July 3 Release

Disney is a company that can clearly read a room. In a time when people are stuck home and movie theaters are close down, the studio knows that its streaming platform, Disney+, has an opportunity to gain on the likes of Netflix and other major competition. And if you have an ace up your sleeve, such as a filmed version of the “Hamilton” musical, you use it.

According to Disney, the company has moved up the release date of the “Hamilton” performance film from October 2021 to July 3, 2020. Yes, almost a year and a half ahead of schedule. Why? Obviously, the Mouse House knows that people need content to watch at home, especially during the summer when movie theaters would normally be open but now aren’t.

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Bob Iger, Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, said, “No other artistic work in the last decade has had the cultural impact of ‘Hamilton’—an inspiring and captivating tale told and performed in a powerfully creative way. In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful. We are thrilled to bring this phenomenon to Disney+ on the eve of Independence Day, and we have the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda and the team behind ‘Hamilton’ to thank for allowing us to do so more than a year before planned.”

“I’m so proud of how beautifully Tommy Kail has brought ‘Hamilton’ to the screen. He’s given everyone who watches this film the best seat in the house,” added Lin-Manuel Miranda. “I’m so grateful to Disney and Disney+ for reimagining and moving up our release to July 4th weekend of this year, in light of the world turning upside down. I’m so grateful to all the fans who asked for this, and I’m so glad that we’re able to make it happen. I’m so proud of this show. I can’t wait for you to see it.”

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As mentioned, when the theatrical rights to the stage film version of “Hamilton” were purchased by Disney, the original release date for the project was October 25, 2021. Clearly, with everything going on with COVID-19 and the lack of major films this summer, the Mouse House sees an opportunity to release “Hamilton” in a time when people will gladly stay at home to watch it.

“Hamilton” is yet another film that was scheduled to be released in theaters but is now hitting streaming instead. We’ll have to see how the theater exhibitors react to Disney doing this yet again. Also, it’s worth noting that the studio is likely going to see a big loss by releasing the film free for subscribers, as it was reported that Disney paid $75 million to land the film rights.

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This is also a huge boost for Disney+, which has been noticeably without major new content in recent weeks. The new shows and films that have debuted haven’t had nearly the impact that launch-date material such as “The Mandalorian” did back in November. However, “Hamilton” will be a big gain for the streaming platform, as will the release of “Artemis Fowl” in June.