ESPN Moves Up Release Date of Three Upcoming Films

ESPN is looking to capitalize on the momentum created by its spring hit, The Last Dance.

ESPN is looking to capitalize on the momentum created by its spring hit, The Last Dance. On Tuesday, network executives at Disney said on an earnings call that it is has pushed up the release date of three of its forthcoming films—documentaries on Lance Armstrong, Bruce Lee and Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. 

It now plans on releasing its latest projects in the weeks immediately after the end of the Jordan series.

ESPN's two-part documentary, Lance, will air on May 24 and May 31. 

On June 7, the network will debut Be Water, which will chronicle Bruce Lee's story.

ESPN's feature Long Gone Summer, about McGwire and Sosa's home run chase in 1998 will air on June 14.

Earlier this week, the network announced that Sunday's The Last Dance has averaged 5.8 million viewers across platforms of its first six episodes. Per the network, that is 62% more viewers than the next-closest documentary debut on ESPN. 

The series was originally set to premiere in June to coincide with the NBA playoffs, but it was moved up two months in the wake of sports being put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic.