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Credit: D23With disastrous performances and early releases on streaming platforms, is it time for Disney to consider withdrawing its movies from cinemas?
Disney has been under fire for allegedly promoting a “woke agenda,” with many, including national media representatives, accusing the company of “pushing woke garbage in our faces.” The Walt Disney Company’s stance in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion has caused several problems for the company, the most notorious being the legal and political crusade Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is carrying out against the House of Mouse.
But recent results show that Disney is being severely affected by this “woke crusade,” possibly driving the company away from cinemas for good.
Movies and series being released by the studios that belong to The Walt Disney Company, including Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and Walt Disney Studios, have faced severe backlash for promoting “woke” ideologies by including LGBTQIA+ characters in stories and seeking to provide representation for minorities like the Black and Hispanic communities.
And while most audiences have applauded Disney’s efforts, the company continues to struggle with the box office performance of its most recent releases.
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From Pixar’s Lightyear (2022) to Disney’s Strange World (2022), Disney has faced severe backlash and criticism, with audiences promoting boycotts of the company’s latest films, which has inevitably harmed the box office performance of several Disney movies.
And the upcoming premiere of Disney’s live-action adaptation, Snow White, is causing strongly polarized opinions, sparking rumors of the movie’s cancellation.
The latest examples of this have been the live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney movie The Little Mermaid (2023), Pixar’s Elemental (2023), and this year’s Haunted Mansion, inspired by the iconic Disneyland ride.
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However, the performance of these films has proven to be wildly different after their premiere on Disney+, Disney’s streaming service, with The Little Mermaid shattering records that had previously changed Disney+.
The recent premiere of Pixar’s Elemental on Disney+ has, once again, proven that Disney movies are having a better performance on the streaming service than in cinemas, as Elemental now holds the title of “most viewed premiere on Disney+ of 2023.
According to Disney, the movie has earned 26.4 million views in its first five days of streaming, becoming the most viewed animated movie premiere since Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red was released in March 2022, as well as the most viewed Disney+ movie premiere of all time in Latin America, ahead of Turning Red.
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And while it is exciting to hear the news, these results could be driving Disney movies away from cinemas, as the company could analyze new ways to distribute its content, achieving higher revenue.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney adopted Disney+ Premier Access, a pay-per-view-type system, to release movies like Mulan (2020), Cruella (2021) starring Emma Stone, Marvel’s Black Widow (2021) with Scarlett Johansson — resulting in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit — Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), and Dwayne Johnson’s Jungle Cruise (2021) on Disney+. However, the system was ditched after The Rock’s Jungle Cruise.
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Following rumors of Disney drafting plans to sell parts of the company, it is possible that Disney could analyze new strategies to release upcoming movies or shows directly on its streaming service at an additional charge. However, as of this article’s publishing, this remains purely speculative.
Disney’s summer blockbuster, Haunted Mansion, struggled at the box office — partly due to its proximity to the premiere of the Barbie movie — and is slated to premiere on Disney+ on October 4, 2023. It is yet to be seen if Haunted Mansion will perform better on the streaming platform, further cementing speculation on the company’s need to seek new strategies for its upcoming movies.
Should Disney consider withdrawing its movies from cinemas? How could the company solve its problems in box office performance? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments below!