When Disney Plus entered the streaming wars in November 2019, there was plenty of buzz and excitement in the air. WandaVision immediately captured the attention of audiences as it was a fresh and bold style of storytelling that was unlike anything that the MCU has done thus far. Plus, you can rewatch all of Disney’s classics stored in one place for a very cheap price.
Instantly, the streaming service was a hit, with Disney reaching over 150 million subscribers is a very short amount of time. The brand was firing on all cylinders at this point. Four years later, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Disney Plus has had over 80 originals, yet, most of their content has been some form of spin-off of a notable intellectual property.
Recently, it was revealed that Disney Plus was losing subscribers. In fact, the quarterly earnings call in May revealed that the streaming service had lost four million exactly. Disney Plus is loaded with tons of content, but sadly, the lack of originality is what’s killing off the once-popular streaming service.
Banking Off Popular Intellectual Property Is A Smart Idea
Hollywood is a business first and foremost. That means business-wise, it would be stupid to not invest in a product that’s been popular in any form of media. Whether you love them or hate them, Disney’s venture into retelling animated classics through live-action form has been a massive success. Four of their live-action films have made over a billion at the box office.
Of course, Star Wars and Marvel are a hot commodity altogether. There are still so many stories to tell that the House of Mouse can easily pull from the comics. However, even though banking off intellectual property is a great idea, milking it dead dry simply isn’t. Despite the abundance of Marvel and Star Wars spin-offs, only a handful are considered great in the eyes of fans.
Even the magic of the live-action films is wearing off as The Little Mermaid got a lukewarm reception and barely broke past $500 million. Other than being lackluster, audiences are simply tired of revisiting the same world over and over again. That magic is gone because Disney feels that they have to explain every nook and cranny of their IPs. Banking off an intellectual property is a great idea, but it shouldn’t be your sole meal ticket.
The Overexposure Of Popular Brands Has Resulted In Predictable Affair
Even before Secret Invasion premiered, there was a notable lack of excitement for the Samuel L. Jackson solo project. Disney has beaten the MCU to the ground because the stories have mostly been the same. Sure, you can tell the differences between Ms. Marvel and Secret Invasion, but the wash, rinse, repeat formula of a hot start, a meandering middle that ends with a big fight in the end is quite noticeable.
Disney seems afraid to take risks with their MCU projects these days. There have been bold projects like WandaVision and Eternals in Phase Four, but a good majority of their shows and films have a similar style and tone to the earlier MCU films. The same thing goes for Star Wars. The constant returns of George Lucas’s popular franchise have been underwhelming, to say the least. Stuff like Andor tries to break away from the typical Star Wars premise, but the constant revisiting of old characters makes the brand feel outdated and stale.
Disney needs to give Star Wars and MCU shows a break. Audiences are simply gassed out by the experience because nothing feels new. Even when they venture outside of the brands – Willow or The National Treasure series – they barely offer any new insight that expands the lore of these franchises.
Disney Plus Isn’t Known For Anything Truly Original
HBO built its brand off of prestige and original programming. The network has spawned classics such as The Sopranos, The Wire, and Succession. Netflix has a huge list of hits as well: Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, Black Mirror, and Squid Game are the most notable. Even Hulu, Peacock, and Amazon Prime have one original show that stands out as memorable.
Disney Plus doesn’t have that. The streaming service’s content is dominated by an established IP that builds the prestige of its brand. What happens when they’ve milked every property dry? Say what you will about Netflix‘s insane release strategy, but they have consistent content that keeps the streaming service fresh and exciting. Disney Plus feels better suited as a streaming service for Marvel, Star Wars, and anyone who wants to watch the classics. The lack of originality is killing Disney Plus. Until more quality and originality regularly pours through the streaming service then the subscriber count will continue to fall.