Disney drops Frozen II, The Rise of Skywalker early, makes quarantine fun

Welcome to Quarantine Land. The Coronavirus is currently spreading throughout the world, and whether by choice or under orders from their government, millions of people around the world are holing up in their homes, wondering what they’re going to do with themselves over the next couple of weeks…months?

What an exciting time to be alive!

Anyway, this is a tough period for a lot of people, especially those who are going to miss out on work because of this. The virus is hitting the film and TV industry, as productions stop around the world. That said, I’m betting Netflix and Disney+ and the like are feeling pretty good right about now, because there’s gonna be a lot more eyeballs on screens in the short term.

To that end, Disney is letting a few things out of the bag a little early. It was going to make Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker available to buy on digital tomorrow, March 17, but in light of everyone needing something to entertain them while the virus runs its course, it’s released the movie early. The final film in the “Skywalker saga” is now available to buy on Vudu, Apple TV and iTunes, Google Play, FandangoNow and Amazon. What better time than now for a Star Wars marathon, huh?

Disney is also dropping Frozen II onto Disney+ in the U.S. and elsewhere a full three months ahead of schedule:

Brand new Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the company was pleased to release the film early. “[T]he themes of perseverance and the importance of family are messages that are incredibly relevant during this time, and we are pleased to be able to share this heartwarming story early with our Disney+ subscribers to enjoy at home on any device,” he said.

Now, my cynical self immediately thinks it’s more about getting people to subscribe to Disney+ — you know parents are going to need something to distract the kids during this period — but ultimately, anything that makes this stretch go by easier is a good thing. Stay safe, everyone.

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h/t Deadline