Deadpool & Wolverine has finally arrived in theaters, marking the Merc with a Mouth's grand Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. Many are looking to the newly released film with the hope that it can restore some life to the struggling MCU. And so far, reviews and early box office indicators sound promising.
Unlike other movie studios though, Disney has has to worry about both box office performance and Disney+ streaming numbers. Prior to the pandemic, Disney was king of the box office. But post-pandemic, the moviegoing experience has shifted thanks, in large part, to the rise of streaming. Now, many people just want to stay home and stream the newest moves from the comfort of their living room couch.
This puts Disney in a unique position as its movie studios rely on big box office numbers, but the company also has to feed the streaming beast that is Disney+. Deadpool & Wolverine will eventually make its way to Disney+ in the future, but the question is when, exactly?
When will Deadpool & Wolverine be available to stream?
Disney hasn't announced when Deadpool & Wolverine will head to streaming because, quite frankly, it wants as many people as possible to pay to see it in theaters first. If they were to announce a streaming date, all it would do is give people a date to mark on their calendar and simply wait.
So at this point, all we can do is speculate. However, we can look at prevoius 20th Century Studios films for an indication as to how long we'll have to wait before Deadpool & Wolverine arrives on streaming.
Before it comes to Disney+, Deadpool & Wolverine will first be available on digital streaming via premium video on demand (PVOD). PVOD releases — which are usually available on digital platforms such as Prime Video, AppleTV+, Fandango at Home (VUDU) and Google Play — are typically available for digital purchase or 48-hour rental period and cost anywhere from $19.99 to $24.99.
Again, Disney hasn't announced Deadpool & Wolverine's PVOD release, but it will likely depend on how well the film performs in theaters. And based on these early indications, Deadpool & Wolverine is going to be a box office hit with projections that the film will open between $340 million to $360 million globally.
Because of this success, Deapdool & Wolverine will likely have long legs at the box office, which means it will take longer to come to PVOD. For a typical 20th Century Studios film, it takes appoximately 60 days from the time it premieres in theaters to arrive on PVOD. Assuming Deadpool & Wolverine follows that traditional 60-day model, then the soonest it will arrive on digital streaming is Tuesday, September 17th or Friday, September 20th.
When will Deadpool & Wolverine come to Disney+?
Following the PVOD release, we get what is then referred to as Subscription Video on Demand (or SVOD). This is where a movie comes to a streaming platform. In Deadpool & Wolverine's case, this would be Disney+.
Despite its R-rating, Deadpool & Wolverine will come to Disney+ and not Hulu since Disney wants Disney+ to house all of the company's Marvel projects. So how long will we have to wait?
Again, there's no specific date, but 20th Century Studios titles typiclaly have a 90-day window for most of their movies. Assuming Deadpool & Wolverine follows this 90-day cycle, then we could see it start streaming on Disney+ as early as October 25th.
But again, this all depends on the film's financial success at the box office. And I suspect it will be a worldwide hit. So in other words, take the dates I mentioned above, and push them back a few weeks. I do believe that Deadpool & Wolverine will be available to stream at some point this year, but it just may not be as early as September or October.
A holiday streaming release may be in the cards. Cozy up by the fire with a blanket and a loved one and watch some good ol' wholesome bloody action and crude humor.