Haemi Kim — Staff Writer

Cinema 5 theater in Sioux Center has announced they will be closed until the end of March. They are not alone as theaters all over the country temporarily shut their doors over COVID-19 as families stay home. Many movies have pushed back their release indefinitely, while those that have made it to the theater came out with poor opening weekends. 

Streaming services are stepping into the entertainment gap left by movie theaters. Disney brought a happy surprise by releasing Frozen 2 globally on Disney+ over three months ahead of its original release on June 26.  

“‘Frozen 2’ has captivated audiences around the world through its powerful themes of perseverance and the importance of family,” said Bob Chapek, Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company, on the early release, “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.” 

Sophomore Acacia Phillips is currently subscribed to Disney+ and says appreciates that movies are being made available to the public early. 

“I was trying to figure out what to watch one night and saw that Frozen 2 was already on there so it was really nice to see it already,” Phillips said, “especially due to the coronavirus.” 

Noah Deist, another sophomore, said it was “a smart business move from movie studios” to get audiences excited about their movies.  

“They spent millions on these film and three months from now when the theater open up again, the hype for their movie will have died out,” said Deist.  

Both Phillips and Deist have a positive look towards Disney’s early releases in Disney+ because of the changes and isolation that has been going on due to COVID-19.  

However, Phillips did have some worries on people wanting more from the companies. 

“People may demand them to be on [Disney+] sooner now because it is certainly really nice,” Philips said. 

Even though for now, people will have to watch movies through their streaming sites, Deist believes that the movie theatres will not have a negative impact in the future.  

“I think the theaters are going to be extremely overbooked once they are allowed to reopen.” Deist said.  

Disney has announced that Onward will also be streaming early to Disney+ on April 3, less than a month after its theatrical release.