Disney + is considered a major Netflix competitor, but the streaming service’s figures have recently looked anything but rosy. This is probably one of the reasons why the provider is now cleaning out its program – for the very first time!
Actually, this is more familiar from competitors like Netflix or Amazon. So far, only new products have been added to Disney+. Now the streaming service is apparently switching back a gear – parallel to the numbers. Because there was only one upward curve for Disney + so far, the numbers in the current quarter (Q2 2023) did not look good. The streaming platform has lost a whopping four million subscribers. Apparently as a reaction to this, Disney + is removing numerous in-house productions from the program, including well-known formats with stars such as Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Disney+ cuts over 30 Originals
Like the industry portal, among other things deadline reported that Disney+ is actually dropping a whole series of originals. This step is unusual in that these titles are ones for which the provider usually does not have to pay license fees. Over 30 films and series are affected.
Apparently, the streaming service is currently throwing titles off the platform that have fallen well short of their own expectations. Among other things, this should be related to the fact that the current numbers of the service do not look good at all. Disney + is still a negative business for the group. Disney boss Bob Iger resigned in March a new savings program at. Among other things, thousands of jobs were cut and even then there was talk of cutting Disney + content.
These films and series are affected
As already mentioned, Disney+ is removing a total of 31 titles from the streaming platform in one go. Among other things, subscribers will have to do without several smaller Marvel productions in the future, including “Marvel’s Hero Project”, which tells the heroic stories of real people. Turner & Hooch, based on the 1989 film, is also disappearing, as is the romantic comedy Rosalinde, which tells the story of Romeo and Juliet from the perspective of Juliet’s cousin, whom Romeo spurned. In addition, the fantasy insider tip “Willow” with Catherine Zeta-Jones will no longer be available on the streaming service from the end of May.
Disney+ is canceling the following films and series; the titles are listed in alphabetical order:
- A Spark Story
- Be Our Boss
- big shot
- BlackBeauty
- Cheaper by the Dozen (Remake)
- clouds
- Diary of a Future President
- Disney Fairy Tale Weddings
- Earth to Ned
- Encore!
- Foodtastic
- Howard
- It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer
- JustBeyond
- Magic Camp
- Marvel’s Hero Project
- Marvel’s MPower
- Marvel’s Voices Rising: The Music of Wakanda Forever
- Rosaline
- star girl
- Stuntman
- The Making Of Willow
- The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
- The One and Only Ivan
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum
- Timmy Failure
- Turner & Hooch
- Weird but True!
- willow
- wolfgang
The titles listed are still until May 26th seen on Disney+.
Will Disney+ cut more content in the future?
The titles mentioned could in no way be the end of the story. If you look at the US market, even more originals are affected there. Specifically, it’s about the series and films from Hulu. In the USA, the two streaming services can now officially be used via an app, in Germany most of the Hulu productions run on Disney+. These films and series could soon also be removed from the platform by Disney+ for cost reasons.
Disney+ is by no means alone in its approach. It wasn’t until winter that Warner Bros. Discovery caused a stir. Discovery+ and HBO Max have been merged into his streaming service called Max. In the course of this, some content also disappeared from the streaming platforms, but new in-house productions were also announced, such as a “Harry Potter” series. Such a step is not yet apparent at Disney +.