Shout it from the rooftops: Hamilton is coming to Disney Plus

Sometimes, good things still happen: The theatrical recording of Hamilton is getting released over a year early, and will stream on Disney Plus.

In these dark and uncertain times we’re all living in, sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that not everything is complete garbage. This is one of those moments. Disney Plus announced that they’ll be moving forward the release of their stage recording of the megapopular musical Hamilton – and dropping it on the streaming service next month.

The show, which re-tells the story of America’s Founding Fathers using hip-hop, rap and R&B, has been nothing short of a global phenomenon, racking up awards, celebrity fans, long lines and sold-out runs everywhere it’s played since its Broadway debut. And now viewers everywhere will be able to see this groundbreaking show for themselves.

Originally, this filmed version of Hamilton – which features Lin-Manuel Miranda and the entire original Broadway cast from its first run – was supposed to get a full theatrical release next fall. Now it’ll be released for streaming on July 3, 2020, over a full year before it was supposed to hit theaters in October 2021.

Presumably literally everyone is already racing to sign up for a Disney+ account, if they somehow managed to resist the charms of Baby Yoda last year.

In all honesty: This is a huge deal.

Disney was, by all indications, planning a full theatrical rollout for the film – and reportedly spent $75 million dollars for the rights to do so. Maybe it will still do that at some point. (Heck, I’d drag everyone I know to a Hamilton sing-along in the theater, whenever we’re allowed to go back to movie theaters again.) But that’s certainly not guaranteed.

Instead, we’ll get to sing about the ten dollar founding father at the top of our lungs in the privacy of our own homes. (Don’t judge me.)

Honestly, this move is pretty understandable. Like most content producers, Disney+ has to be thinking about what the next few months will look like, as coronavirus has shut down production on virtually every show and movie out there. And that means it’s unlikely that some of its most highly anticipated Disney Plus properties, such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will actually make it to the streaming service this year. And with most of their other businesses – parks, cruises, etc – well, it’s probably time to get creative in terms of revenue generation.

This also indicates that Disney is perhaps more willing than previously believed to experiment with releasing theatrical properties via its streaming hub. And with big films like Black Widow and Mulan missing their release dates – and languishing on the shelf for who knows how long  – Hamilton may not be the only top tier streaming exclusive we see in the next few months.

Are you looking forward to watching Hamilton this July? Let’s discuss.