Disney+ is coming later this year, and promises to shake up the streaming arena dramatically. The service will offer access to Disney’s enviable library of films, TV shows and cartoons, and — given that the House of Mouse now owns Marvel, Star Wars and (more recently) 20th Century Fox — that’s quite a library.
We already know that Disney has big plans for original content — including a Star Wars live-action TV show, reboots and remakes of existing Disney classics — but it could be the company’s cinematic content that really makes the difference.
Speaking in Disney’s recent quarterly earnings report, CEO Bob Iger revealed that Avengers: Endgame — the latest money-spinning Marvel movie — would be coming to Disney+ later this year, shortly after the service launches. While it will most likely be available on Blu-ray and DVD by then, Avengers: Endgame will arrive on Disney+ on December 11th.
Endgame has made more than $1.2 billion during its opening weekend, which comfortably eclipses the $517 million generated by Disney stablemate Star Wars: The Force Awakens in its first weekend. It’s also currently the second-highest grossing film of all time, after Avatar.
Disney had previously allowed Netflix to screen some of its biggest blockbusters, but we imagine that when Disney+ launches the need to share the good stuff will vanish; if that is indeed the case, the Netflix could find itself in a tough position. Disney+ is set to cost $6.99 per month (or $70 for the full year), which undercuts Netflix’s subscription cost in the US.
With one of the biggest films of all time arriving on the service close to launch — and the wealth of other content from Disney’s past (and future) on the table — we’d imagine that Disney+ will be a resounding success. How it will impact Netflix and Amazon — both of which have been massively scaling up their own original content — remains to be seen, but another major player in the streaming arena could be both a blessing and a curse for consumers. While it will encourage all players to raise their game (and perhaps drop their prices), it’s another monthly sub you just can’t risk not having.
by dmcferran via Featured Articles
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