Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will debut on Disney+ on Feb. 1.
The date means the film will debut on the streamer 82 days after it opened in theaters on Nov. 11, 2022, beating out Thor: Love and Thunder, which debuted on Disney+ 62 days after its theatrical release.
There was initially some confusion over whether or not Feb. 1 would be the true release date.
The streaming platform had displayed Black Panther 2 as both “coming to Disney+ on Feb. 1” and “coming soon to Disney+” on the user interface. Previous reports claimed the premiere date would be Jan. 20.
Previously
The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, debuted in theaters on Nov. 11.
In the film, Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje strive to defend their country against world powers following King T’Challa’s demise. As the Wakandans attempt to embrace their newest chapter, the heroes must work to establish a new path for their beloved homeland.
Though it’s only days since the film’s theatrical release, fans are already asking when it will be available to stream on Disney+. Unfortunately, the streamer has yet to announce a release date, but there are some clues we can use to narrow done the timeframe.
Probably not coming until 2023
Despite some predictions that the film would stream on Disney+ during the holiday season, that’s probably not the case. Deadline reports Black Panther: Wakanda Forever won’t premiere on the streamer until sometime in 2023 after enjoying a “robust theatrical window” of at least 45 days.
This, of course, makes sense: The longer a film’s theatrical run, the better it can do at the box office. In its opening weekend, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever grossed $181 million domestically and more than $331 million worldwide.
And while Deadline notes the movie started “lighter” than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever could have “longer legs” and potentially gross at least $500 million stateside.
But at least 45 days is still somewhat vague. This is where we turn to recent Marvel movies for more answers.
Prediction: Look for the film in January
Marvel has already had two theatrical releases this year: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in May and Thor: Love and Thunder in July. The two films arrived on Disney+ 47 and 62 days after their theatrical debuts, respectively.
Thor: Love and Thunder’s arrival on Disney+ is closer to the 70-day streaming release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the 68 days before Eternals streamed on Disney+ last year.
Based on all of this, it would make sense that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever would arrive on Disney+ 45 to 70 days after its theatrical release. However, with the news that it won’t debut until next year, we get a narrower window between Jan. 1, 2023, and Jan. 20, 2023.
So we’ll likely be able to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in early-to-mid January on the streamer, but Disney+ could always decide to shake things up and drop the movie on the platform without warning.