Disney+ Will Make History This Week Thanks to Marvel & Star Wars

By Tom Drew Updated:
Disney Plus Marvel Star Wars

Thanks to its stellar line-up of original content from the Marvel universe, a galaxy far, far away, and more, Disney+ has seen an incredible level of success since its launch. Bringing audiences Star Wars content with movie-level visuals in The Mandalorian and essential MCU viewing with the likes of WandaVision and Loki, the output hasn't slowed down, and the quality hasn't let up.

Currently, the streaming service is drip-feeding viewers with Temuera Morrison's The Book of Boba Fett, a thrilling adventure centering around the galaxy's infamous bounty hunter. Disney+ is also soon to be home to several theatrical entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, those being Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The rest of the year is set for a healthy array of projects too, with the likes of Kenobi set for release in 2022 and a plethora of MCU series heading for the platform including Moon Knight and She-Hulk.

Now, the streaming platform has made history with a few notable releases.

Disney+ Makes History With Marvel & Star Wars

The Book of Boba Fett Disney+
Disney

As pointed out by Fandango's Erik Davis, the Disney+ release of both Marvel Studios' Eternals and Chapter 3 of the Star Wars series The Book of Boba Fett on January 12, 2022 marks a first for the streaming platform.

This will be the first time that a new live-action Marvel Studios movie/series will premiere on the streamer the same day of the Disney+ debut of a new live-action Star Wars movie/series, giving fans plenty of content to sit through come that Wednesday.

There have been instances where a Marvel and Star Wars project have launched simultaneously, such as November 12's Disney+ Day, which saw the premieres of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Under The Helmet: The Legacy Of Boba Fett, or July 9, 2021, which debuted both Black Widow and The Bad Batch Episode 11.

However, there hasn't been a day since Disney Plus' launch on November 12, 2019 that both Marvel Studios and Star Wars debuted a major live-action production on the service.

Marvel's Eternals
Disney

 

Will Disney Do This Again?

Up to this point, Disney has been careful to space out its content to prevent any overlap that may splinter the viewer base. The fact that the company has had to double up on this occasionally signals just how much content the streaming service is set to receive as 2022 continues.

Several upcoming projects from both the Marvel and Star Wars franchises have yet to receive solid release dates, so it's unclear whether Disney+ will be forced to pull a double feature once again. 

The Book of Boba Fett ending on February 9, 2022 gives the Marvel Cinematic Universe a clear run for a few months, meaning a future MCU project could drop somewhere after that point. If Disney does want to avoid any overlap though, it may want to release the next Marvel Studios series ahead of the rumored May 2022 release of Kenobi

Disney's decision to release two projects simultaneously may show its increased willingness to overlap projects, but it is notable that one of these projects is a completely new release whereas the other is one that has already been available previously in theaters. The streaming service may be a bit more hesitant to release two wholly original projects at the same time, but this precedent may indicate a change in approach.

Marvel Studios' Eternals and Chapter 3 of The Book of Boba Fett will release on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, exclusively on Disney+.

- About The Author: Tom Drew
Tom Drew is the Executive Editor at The Direct. Tom writes for The Direct's Marvel, Star Wars, and DC branches while specializing in all things movies, from blockbuster to indie darlings.