Raya and the Last Dragon has been out for a few weeks now, both in theaters and on Disney+. But if you want to watch Walt Disney Animation's latest feature film on the streaming service, you'll have to pay an additional $30 Premiere Access fee on top of your monthly subscription.
For those who aren't quite ready to venture into theaters and don't want to pay the Premiere Access charge, the only other options are to wait for the home release of the film and purchase it either digitally or on Blu-ray/DVD, or to wait for it to become free on Disney+.
If you're waiting for it to be free, it'll be a few more months. According to Disney's own FAQ, Raya and the Last Dragon will be available to all Disney+ subscribers without the Premiere Access charge on June 4, 2021. For comparison, the movie will hit major digital platforms on April 2 before arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 18.
Disney's handling of film releases has been a bit confusing since the start of the pandemic. For some major films, like Mulan, Disney opts for a simultaneous theatrical and streaming release with a Premiere Access charge. Other movies, like Soul, have gone straight to Disney+ with no Premiere Access fee.
The only thing that appears to be consistent is how long Disney+ subscribers have to wait between when the film is released in theaters (or with a Premiere Access fee) and when they can watch it for free. It appears that Disney will stick to its three-month wait period from release before becoming free to watch on Disney+.