Disney boss Bob Iger has said that a "few more" of the studio's films could skip cinemas altogether and go straight to streaming on Disney+ like Artemis Fowl.
The family adventure movie, based on the book by Eoin Colfer and directed by Kenneth Branagh, was originally intended for a theatrical release in May 2020.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced that the film will go directly to Disney+ instead, making it one of the most high-profile projects on the service to date.
In an interview with Barron's, Disney's Executive Chairman Bob Iger discussed the possibility of other movies following a similar path.
He said: "In terms of movies going ahead after Artemis [Fowl], there may be a few more that we end up putting directly onto Disney+, but for the most part a lot of the big tentpole Disney films, we’ll simply wait for slots. In some cases we’ve announced new ones already, but later on in the calendar."
This statement seems to quash hopes that the likes of Mulan and Black Widow could make their way to streaming early, as the mega-budget movies have been assigned new release dates later in the year.
However, it is now possible that some of the smaller projects in the pipeline at Disney could find a home on the service, which only recently launched in the UK and much of Europe. Wondering what's good to watch on it? Check out our round-up of the best Disney+ movies.
In the US, recent animated fare Frozen 2 and Onward have already been released on Disney+, but these are not yet available in the UK.
Sign up to Disney Plus for £5.99 a month or £59.99 for a full year subscription.
