When will Jungle Cruise be available to watch for free on Disney+? Jungle Cruise is Disney’s new adventure fantasy movie starring Dwayne Johnson as Captain Frank “Skipper” Wolff, Emily Blunt as British scientist Dr. Lily Houghton, and Jack Whitehall as her brother and hesitant assistant McGregor. The film has already been received with generally positive reviews, suggesting Jungle Cruise may turn into a full-blown franchise if Disney has its way.
Jungle Cruise’s family-friendly premise is taken from a Disneyland theme park ride of the same name, which takes patrons on an adventure down the Amazon River. The new Disney movie will take Skipper, Lily, and McGregor on a harrowing journey through the river and South American jungles as they search for the mysterious Tree of Life, which is rumored to provide healing powers that would provide great benefits to medicine. Along the way, the crew must battle the Germans to reach the Tree first and use its powers to save mankind.
The Pirates of the Caribbean-esque adventure film has its wide theatrical release on July 30, 2021, in the United States, being available both in movie theaters and via streaming on Disney+ for $30 with Premier Access. Disney’s typical timeline for placing its new movies on the streaming service for free is three months after its wide release, but the 90-day wait is being increased to 105 days for Jungle Cruise, meaning it won’t be available on Disney+ for any additional cost until Friday, November 12, 2021. As a fun action-adventure that can appeal to both adults and kids, Disney is expecting to bring in a significant amount of money via theaters and Premier Access, so there’s little chance it will be released on Disney+ before the 105-day wait is done.
Disney has been trying its hand with dual theatrical and streaming releases, most recently with the MCU’s Black Widow or the live-action Cruella origin story. Both films, which premiered theatrically in July and May, respectively, have yet to be released on Disney+ for free. Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon also had a simultaneous release through theaters and Disney+’s Premier Access in March 2021, finally landing on Disney+ for its subscribers in July. So far, Jungle Cruise has the longest wait for a Disney release to go from Premier Access to no additional fee.
Even though Jungle Cruise won’t be available for free on Disney+ until the Fall, the rollout schedule of the film theatrically may have been intentional for optimal free streaming turnout. If Jungle Cruise’s free Disney+ release schedule followed the normal three-month timeline, the film would be available on October 30, 2021, or Halloween Eve. Halloween weekend means kids won’t be at home watching adventure movies, they’ll be out trick-or-treating, playing games, or watching all of the Halloween-themed films on Disney+’s catalog. By moving the date to November 12th, Disney capitalizes on more money from Premier Access and theaters, while making sure Jungle Cruise’s free release won’t be conflicting with its own holiday catalog.
