Cruella, Peter Pan & Pinocchio on Disney Plus?
Report: The Walt Disney Company debating a move to Disney+ for Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Wendy, and Cruella…
Welp, with the lockdowns getting tighter and the restrictions coming quicker, movie production companies are making quick decisions.
Pinocchio. Image: Disney.
For example, Wonder Woman 1984 is going to theaters AND HBO Max.
However, Disney, having declared a streaming-first strategy, is moving a little more deliberately.
Image: Shuttershock.
Disney+ Debuts For Live-Action Reboots
In an exclusive, Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. posted:
Antique Peter Pan poster.
Disney [is] looking at launching a number of its upcoming tentpole family films on Disney Plus instead of the theatrical release bows that were envisioned when the films were developed and greenlit. At this point, the films being discussed to make that pivot are Cruella, the Craig Gillespie-directed live-action re-imaging of the animated classic that stars Emma Stone and Emma Thompson; the Robert Zemeckis-directed Pinocchio that has Tom Hanks starring; and Peter Pan and Wendy, the David Lowery-directed film that has Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi set to play Tinker Bell.
Image: Walt Disney Studios.
It isn’t clear at the moment whether the films will be offered free to Disney+ subscribers, as with the Pete Docter-directed Pixar film Soul, or for a premium charge as was done with Mulan. Still, it’s a bombshell development in the fast-changing theatrical/streaming landscape.
Profits For Streaming on Disney Plus
Now, beyond not having to rely so heavily on non-Disney owned theaters, why is this strategy so palatable?
It’s math, baby:
Image: Disney+.
The direct-to-consumer segment has soared this year by 41%, per the most recently reported quarter. Disney+ subscriptions grew to a remarkable 73.7 million as of early October, helped by the Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian and the Disney+ PVOD release of Mulan.
Deadline also reported that Disney had no official statement regarding the films debuting on Disney Plus. However, my guess is that means we simply need to wait until December 10 and the next Disney Stockholder Event.
Cruella. Image: Walt Disney Studios.
