Disney to become a Force in streaming wars

DISNEY has unveiled plans to take on streaming giant Netflix with Star Wars and Indiana Jones films – and a drama about The Rolling Stones.

The move is another blow to struggling cinemas which have been hoping for highprofile releases to draw audiences back to big screens next year following the devastating impact of the pandemic.

The entertainment giant announced 100 planned new titles, which bosses hope will lure millions of subscribers to Disney+.

The schedule includes ten Star Wars spinoffs, a fifth Indiana Jones film with Harrison Ford, 78, a Beauty And The Beast prequel series, a Moana series based on the popular Pixar film, a Three Men And A Baby reboot, and a Swiss Family Robinson series.

In a coup, Disney has secured The Rolling Stones’s support for two seasons of a drama based on the early years of the band.

Previously Mick Jagger has been reluctant to sign off biographical projects, but The Stones have reportedly given their permission for the series to feature their music.

It will be made by British production company Left Bank Pictures, which is behind Netflix’s The Crown.

Although Disney bosses said cinema releases remain part of its plan, its streaming service will now take priority. Forthcoming films such as Peter Pan & Wendy and Tom Hanks’s Pinocchio will skip cinemas and be available to view straightaway.

The move follows Warner Brothers’ announcement last week that all its releases next year will debut on HBO Max.

Disney made the announcement at an investor presentation on Thursday. It said subscribers could soon expect to see something new every week on the service, including 15 Disney Pixar feature films.

Disney+, which was launched just over a year ago, has 86.8million subscribers worldwide – a figure that far exceeded its own predictions thanks in part to the pandemic.

It is still well behind Netflix, which boasts nearly 200million global subscribers, but Disney is aiming for 230 to 260million subscribers by 2024. Fees for the service will rise from next year. In the UK it currently costs £5.99 a month or £59.99 annually.

Disney’s films accounted for more than £10billion in cinema ticket sales worldwide last year. CEO Bob Chapek said: ‘Of the 100 new titles announced, 80 per cent will go to Disney+. But we had $13billion of box office last year and that’s obviously not something to sneeze at. For us it’s about balance.’

Among the Disney films still on course for release in cinemas are Marvel’s Black Widow and a Lion King prequel.