The industry shift continues. I expect that this isn’t going to revert back.
Disney has unveiled plans for a major expansion of its Star Wars and Marvel franchises on its Disney+ subscription streaming service.
The company said that its upcoming films Peter Pan & Wendy and Tom Hank’s Pinocchio will be launched directly onto Disney+, skipping theatres.
Disney is the latest major studio to divert its focus from cinema to streaming.
Last week Warner Brothers said all its 2021 releases would debut on HBO Max.
And, of course, they are going to flood the zone with the same stuff until we’re all sick of it and the market cries uncle.
Disney said that it planned to offer 10 new TV series in Its Marvel and Star Wars franchises over the next few years.
With my 32 inch tube, 27 year old TV, hardly seems exciting.
I would have thought that I would get sick of Marvel, but honestly they have nailed ALMOST every movie. And if Mando is any gauge, I am excited for the future of Disney+.
But, I don’t think that the shift is quite as big. They are still releasing the Marvel & Star Wars movies in the cinema first. So far, it is lots AND LOTS of series that they are bringing to the smaller screens. But my guess is that the windows between cinema and streaming will be much shorter than in the past.
It really feels like the movies they are putting directly on Disney+ are equivalent to their direct DVD releases. Very much mid-budget movies that would do mediocre in theaters anyway. The only offshoot to that is their animated Raya which will be dropped at the same time as well, for an additional $30.
But, I am here for ALL the streaming options. The only movies I will go and see in the theater are tentpole Marvel & Star Wars anyway. Or it is the budget theater with the kids for an experience.
I agree about Marvel. They have nailed that franchise. The Star Wars franchise has been more lumpy, but definitely has improved under Disney.
I also agree about the shift to streaming. I enjoy the variety and, like a lot of people, have enjoyed the resurfacing of movies and series long since forgotten. But I also enjoy the movie theater experience and many theaters have really upped their game. This old “dinner and a movie” is still an enjoyable way to spend an evening.
But with direct access to a market through streaming services, production houses have a different revenue model that won’t support the traditional way of producing movies. And most of the production shops have been focusing on multi-lateral franchise revenue models for a while now. The next Star Wars movie may be mediocre, but it maintains the assembly line of merchandise, amusement parks, etc. that are all licensed back to the character.