Disney+ is the future of Disney, so why not focus on it?

The concept of my column, Come @ Me, Bro, is to present a strong, unpopular opinion that I actually believe. All the opinions are not made up just to incite angry discord. Unlike Twitter users who tweet an unpopular opinion only to say, “Don’t @ Me,” I actually want to hear from you! Whether you agree, or more likely, disagree with my statements. This week; why Disney is brilliant in shifting their focus from theme parks and theatrical films to their streaming service, Disney+.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has had many casualties. Though Disneyworld is open, Disneyland remains closed. Movie theatres remain in some sort of “dead zone,” with Tenet flopping domestically and Disney moving Mulan to Disney+, with an extra charge. With Pixar’s Soul also moving to Disney+ this December with no paywall, what is Disney’s most profitable asset moving forward?

Well, for all of you asking, and staying at home until this whole thing blows over, a streaming service is the answer! And, boy-howdy, has Disney had one ready since November 2019, when we could never imagine the damage a pandemic could do to the western world.

Disney Shifts Focus…

One article this week from our glorious site, addressed the very issue of Disney shifting focus to streaming. Disney Chief Bob Chapek  made this comment:

Given the incredible success of Disney+ and our plans to accelerate our direct-to-consumer business, we are strategically positioning our Company to more effectively support our growth strategy and increase shareholder value. Managing content creation distinct from distribution will allow us to be more effective and nimble in making the content consumers want most, delivered in the way they prefer to consume it.

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All of the Disney Entertainment group will fall under one umbrella, with a larger chunk of change going towards building original content on Disney+. As earlier stated, with the way the world is heading today, I feel this is the smartest move the House of Mouse can make.

First, you have Covid-19. The pandemic has already pushed two feature films originally meant for theatres to the streaming service. I’m again talking Mulan and Soul, but don’t forget Onward, a film that was only in theatres for several weeks until theaters had to shut down. Onward became free on Disney+ immediately after a short VOD run and before the Blu-ray release. Disney, like all the studios, had to pivot fast, both to their streaming services and VOD in order to make some profit while theatres were closed.

As for the movie theatres… their fate is unknown. Regal already shut its doors when No Time To Die was pushed. The chain plans to reopen, but not until there are blockbusters to be sold and Americans are brave enough to return to the movies. I’m not surprised, as I know myself and several LRM staffers are not returning to theatres until we have a widespread vaccine. This leaves all theatre chains between a rock and a hard place, as the arrival of a viable vaccine is unlikely until summer or fall 2021.

Once released, a certain amount of the population will have to receive said vaccine before we can defeat Covid-19. So, it may be a while before I and many Americans feel safe to go back to the movies. The landscape will change, and with fewer theatres, Disney seems to be counting on Disney+ to get its content to consumers.

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There is also fear of the future. Is the pandemic really a once in a lifetime event? Or will another quickly rise that will again throw movie theatres and studios into chaos? Mankind and animals with possible pandemic level viruses are being driven closer and closer. This is a result of human expansion into the wild and climate change driving more bats and what-have-you closer to human civilization. For all we know, another industry damaging event is on the way. This time, Disney wants to be ready.

ALL The Shows!

Though this shift from theatrical content to streaming was made public this week, Disney has been building a slate of shows since the announcement of the service.

We’ve already gotten Grade-A content in the form of the first season of The Mandalorian. On October 30th, we are finally getting our second season of Mando. Then later this year we are finally getting our first Marvel Cinematic Universe show, WandaVision. You may have noticed that Disney+ thus far has mostly been a wasteland. Disney is obviously looking to change this and I can’t wait.

Here’s what’s coming from Marvel Studios:

Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Loki

Hawkeye

Moon Knight

Ms. Marvel

She-Hulk

Fury

What If…?

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These shows are in various stages, with some in production, some being cast, and others still being written. There are other rumored projects as well.

Star Wars also has a slew of shows as well, including:

Cassian Andor

Obi-Wan

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

And other rumored series like yesterday’s Cara Dune project following the character from The Mandalorian.

Of course, this is in addition to some Pixar shows and show remakes of classic movies like The Mighty Ducks.

There are certainly lots of other project ideas being thrown around, especially following the announcement of Disney Entertainment switching priorities to Disney+. Hopefully, this fixes their giant gap between quality shows issue that we have experienced since Mando Season 1 ended.

COME @ ME, BRO!

Now, the fun part. Do you think Disney’s shift to Disney+ programming is a fantastic idea or a giant mistake? Would you be happier spending time on your couch instead of at a movie theatre, even post Pandemic?

You know what I think, so I want you to Come @ Me, Bro! Let’s do this in the comments below!

Continue the LRM Online conversation on Discord by CLICKING HERE!

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