Pixar's Soul movie is releasing on Disney+ in December, but will it be free - or will it be limited behind Disney's new premier tier? Considering how much of Hollywood is now controlled by Disney and the company's subsidiary studios, they've been heavily impacted by the ongoing pandemic. Although Disney initially tried to hold fast with blockbuster movies like Mulan and Black Widow, they've since pulled back on that plan and delayed their biggest movies to 2021 (if not 2022). Mulan, though, was still released - just differently.
Rather than release Mulan on-demand, Disney double-dipped by not only putting it on Disney+ but shielding it behind a premier tier, one that required an additional $30 to access. That meant people would have to first subscribe to Disney+ and then pay a premium price on top of it to watch Mulan; in fairness, though, those people were then able to rewatch Mulan as many times as they wanted, so long as they remained subscribed. Whether the release model was successful or not is unclear, but Disney doesn't seem to be repeating it for Soul.
Soul is the latest animated movie from Pixar, and it was originally scheduled to hit theaters in June 2020 but was pushed back to November due to the pandemic. Now that Disney has delayed most of their movies to 2021 or later, they've decided to release Soul on Disney+ for free. Just like Onward was put on Disney+ for free only weeks after coming in theaters, Soul will also release for free on Disney+ on December 25. Though unlike Onward, Soul won't get a theatrical release at all in the United States.
Disney hasn't shared any specifics, but Soul will still release in theaters internationally where Disney+ isn't currently available. There's a level of caution in this plan; the domestic box office has been in a slump even though theaters reopened in many states, and now those theaters are closing again. For instance, Regal owner Cinemark is closing all theaters in the US and UK, which significantly impacts the market. So even if Disney wanted to release Soul in theaters, they'd be fighting against the pandemic and theater closures. This way, they can dominate the streaming world during the holidays.
Pixar is one of the most famous studios in the world, and a new movie releasing on Disney+ on Christmas day will certainly draw in families who are stuck inside. In many ways, Disney will likely be counting on new subscribers to sign up and watch Soul for free, since they can't go out to the movies. Christmas day has always been one of the busiest days for theaters, so this year, those crowds will transition from the big to the small screen.