“It’s super-impressive whatDisneyhas done. It’s incredible execution for an incumbent to pivot … so that’s great. And it shows that members are interested and willing to pay more for more content because they’re hungry for great stories. And Disney does have some great stories.”
While Netflix has much more original content thanDisney+, the Mouse Empire is the most powerful studio in the history of cinema, whose brand recognition powers are unrivaled in every corner of the globe. On his part, Hastings says Netflix aims to catch up with Disney in terms of family content while pointing out that the rival company’s family-friendly image means they will not be able to offer as diverse a slate of content as Netflix does.
“[Inside the company] it gets us fired up aboutincreasing our membership, increasing our content budget and it’s going to be great for the world that Disney and Netflix are competing show by show, movie by movie. We’re very fired up about catching them in family animation - maybe eventually passing them, we’ll see, a long way to go just to catch them - and maintaining our lead in general entertainment that’s so stimulating. [An example is the Shonda Rhimes-created Bridgerton], which I don’t think you’re going to see on Disney anytime soon.”
While it is true that Disney has famously kept its distance from any sort of graphic violence or nudity in its shows or movies, that might well be starting to change. It was recently confirmed thatDeadpool 3had been greenlit by the studio and that the movie will keep to its franchise’s R-rating.
There were also rumors last year that Disney+ will soon include an 18+ section on its site to host more adult content, including the vast slate of movies the Mouse Empire acquired after buying out Fox studio. Clearly, Disney knows that if it wants to compete with other studios, it will need to open up its world to more than kid-friendly content.
