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As the box office continues to rebound, Disney has announced that Marvel Studios‘ tentpoles Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals will (for the moment) continue to have exclusive theatrical releases. Unlike recent new releases like Black Widow and Jungle Cruise, neither will have a hybrid release to Disney+‘s Premier Access tier.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed the news during the company’s Q3 earnings call today. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit theaters on September 13, with Eternals set to release on November 5. Both will have a 45-day exclusive run in cinemas.

Chapek said that the return of moviegoing is now in full swing, although the rebound of the global box office is not instantaneous.

“Both Bob Iger and I, along with the leaders of our creative and distribution teams, determined this was the right strategy because it would enable us to reach the broadest possible audience,” Chapek said of the initial Disney+ Premier Access release strategy, which the company now appears to potentially be phasing out, based on the lack of additional content.

Free Guy was one of the first major Disney films to bypass the company’s streaming service completely. The 20th Century Studios movie opens this weekend and will have a 45-exclusive run in theaters before it can head to VOD. When pressed about why these films wouldn’t head to Disney+ Premier Access, Chapek said the company had to put a “stake in the ground” with the release strategy.

“As you probably recognize, we live in a very uncertain world in terms of the recovery of some of our markets, and theatrical exhibition world is certainly a part of that. We said from the very beginning that we value flexibility and being able to make as last-minute calls as we can, given what we see in the marketplace. Certainly, when we planned our schedule that we’re executing right now, we did not anticipate — nor do I think anybody — the resurgence of Covid with a Delta variant that would have such an effect on the marketplace.”

Along with Shang-Chi and Eternals, other films set for exclusive theatrical releases include Encanto, West Side Story and The Kings Man.

“We value flexibility and we value to follow where the consumer is going to go,” Chapek reiterated. “While some of that’s uncertain, I think that in terms of relative to the rest of the market is, you see that we’ve got more flexibility in terms of how to program. Nothing is in stone, because the marketplace is rapidly changing — but at some point, you have to put a stake in the ground and say: ‘This is what we’re going to do.'”

Regarding swapping the films to a Disney+ Premier Access simultaneous release, Chapek said for films like Free Guy and Shang-Chi, it’s just too late in the game to make any major adjustments.

“On Free Guy, obviously this is a title that we acquired under a different distribution assumption and set of agreements, so we don’t have the degree of freedom to do that,” Chapek clarified. “On Shang-Chi, we actually think it’s going to be an interesting experiment for us, because it’s got only a 45-day window for us. The prospect of being able to take a Marvel title to the service after going theatrical for 45 days will be yet another data point to inform our actions going forward on our titles.”

So, is there any chance Shang-Chi will make a last-minute switch? While Chapek said no, he didn’t have anything to say about the upcoming planned theatrical releases of Marvel films like Eternals.

“Once again, I’ll refer back to my previous answer: when we planned Shang-Chi, that title was planned on being in a much more healthy theatrical environment, and at this point, unfortunately, due distribution agreements that we have and due to just the practicalities of last-minute changes, it wouldn’t be possible,” Chapek explained.

Black Widow was Disney’s first major MCU movie to head straight to Disney+, landing on the streamer’s Premier Access tier, meaning folks had to pay a one-time fee of $29.99 to stream the film at home. The decision to launch Black Widow on Disney+ with a simultaneous in-theater release has resulted in a lawsuit from its lead actress, Scarlett Johansson, on the claim that the breach of contract cost her over $50 million in box office earnings.

Other Disney+ Premier Access films have included Cruella, Mulan, Raya and the Last Dragon, and most recently, Jungle Cruise. As of this writing, no new Disney movies are set to head to Disney+’s Premier Access tier.

Today’s announcement upheld the company’s dedication to exclusive box office runs in theaters, although Chapek said that the company will continue to monitor theater recovery closely as they make decisions on how to release films in 2022 and beyond.

“Just to reiterate, distribution decisions are made on a film-by-film basis, based on global marketplace positions and consumer behavior,” Chapek said. “We will continue to utilize all available options going forward, learn from insights gained from its release, and innovate accordingly, while always doing what we believe is in the best interest of the film as well and the best interest of its constituents.”