‘Raya And The Last Dragon’ Super Bowl Ad Sells Disney’s Duel Release Strategy

There’s nothing in this quick commercial for Walt Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon that we haven’t already seen. It looks pretty great, and I’m curious to what extent that this picture will be allowed to be an out-and-out action movie as opposed to a comic romp where folks draw their swords and occasionally charge at each other. That’s a question to be answered over the next month, as the film is scheduled to debut both theatrically (where available) and on Disney+ (where available) on or around March 5.

While you probably know what’s up, I imagine it may be news to the 100 million or so folks watching the Super Bowl that they can see this latest Disney toon in theaters if they so choose and if their local multiplexes are open or on Disney+ for a one-time $29.99 fee. It’s a duel release strategy not unlike what was tried with Mulan back in September, except this time the film will be available in theaters even in territories where Disney+ is available.

Moreover, despite Disney+’s relatively successful pop culture domination, especially in the last months of 2020/first months of 2021, Raya and the Last Dragon will be their first “not a Fox discard” flick to open theatrically in North America since Pixar’s Onward exactly a year ago on Raya’s opening weekend. By the way, Soul has earned $96 million worldwide, which at least mean it out-grossed Mulan ($66 million) globally but still lagged behind Wonder Woman 1984 ($154 million).

Had Raya opened this past Thanksgiving in normal circumstances, it likely would have flirted with grosses between Ralph Breaks the Internet ($529 million in 2018) and Moana ($643 million in 2016), with Coco ($808 million in 2017) acting as a best-case-scenario. And with Dune likely to be far more “for fans only” than Star Wars or even the likes of The Hobbit and Aquaman, a family-friendly fantasy action comedy like Raya would have run the tables from Thanksgiving until early 2021.

But now the challenge is very different. The films that dare brave the theatrical waters in 2021 aren’t trying to break records or shatter glass ceilings. They are just trying to survive, to financially justify their existence in a time far different than the one in which they were initially greenlit. The franchise titles are merely trying to keep those franchises theatrically strong, and the non-franchise titles are trying to prove that there’s still a place at movie theaters for anything other than the latest sequel, spin-off or remake.

Raya and the Last Dragon takes us on an exciting, epic journey to the fantasy world of Kumandra, where humans and dragons lived together long ago in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well.

Raya and the Last Dragon features an outstanding voice cast, including Kelly Marie Tran as the voice of the intrepid warrior Raya; Awkwafina as the legendary dragon, Sisu; Gemma Chan as Raya’s nemesis, Namaari; Daniel Dae Kim as Raya’s visionary father, Benja; Sandra Oh as Namaari’s powerful mother, Virana; Benedict Wong as Tong, a formidable giant; Izaac Wang as Boun, a 10-year-old entrepreneur; Thalia Tran as the mischievous toddler Little Noi; Alan Tudyk as Tuk Tuk, Raya’s best friend and trusty steed; Lucille Soong as Dang Hu, the leader of the land of Talon; Patti Harrison as the chief of the Tail land; and Ross Butler as chief of the Spine land.

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