It might look like Disney is positioningDisney+, its upcoming geek-friendly streaming service, as a one-stop spot for everything Star Wars, but if you’re eager to keep tabs on what’s happening in a galaxy far, far away you still need to make the occasional stop at your local box office. While Disney+ will be home to both live action and animated Star Warstelevision shows, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that original Star Warsfeature films will only debut in theaters, not on the small screen.
“We wouldn’t make a Star Wars movie for this platform,” Iger said during an interview withBarron’s. “When everybody goes out on the weekend and you have a movie that opens up to $200 million, there’s a buzz that creates that enhances value. We like that.” Disney+ will be the landing spot for some original films, Iger said, but nothing with a budget in the $100 million-plus range, which seems to take feature-length Star Wars projects out of the running.
That’s not to say that future Star Wars movies, likeThe Last Jedidirector Rian Johnson’sstand-alone trilogy,won’t make their way to Disney+ eventually, of course. They will simply appear on the streaming service once their theatrical runs are over.
It’s not just Star Wars that’s getting a bunch of Disney+ love, either. As previously reported, Disney+ will also host live-action miniseries featuringbig-screen Marvel characterslike Loki, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, and the Winter Soldier.
Disney+,The Mandalorian, andThe Clone Warsrevival are all scheduled to launch in late 2019, right around the time thatStar Wars: Episode IXwill hit theaters and cap off the Skywalker saga for good. That is a lot of Star Wars, so start planning your schedule now: There’s even more —much, much more— currently on the way.
