Question: What is Disney thinking when they decided to release the movie Mulan on Disney+ for $30? –Justin
Matt Roush: My initial thoughts when this was announced were: That’s a big ask, and you’d probably have to really want to see it now — now being the new launch date of Sept. 4 — to shell out for it. On the other hand, if a family were to go to a theater to see the movie in first-run, as was obviously originally the plan, the outlay from tickets, concessions, maybe parking and other charges (depending on location) would likely have surpassed the $29.99 cost to stream it. I also remember Disney rushing releases like Frozen 2 and Onward to streaming, bypassing or narrowing the pay-per-view window, in the early days of the pandemic, and they gave us Hamilton a year ahead of time, so on balance, I’d still consider Disney+ a value in this streaming world. It’s no surprise that given these economically stressful times, a $30 surcharge to watch a single movie would spark this kind of reaction, but looking at the big picture, the movie studios and industry at large are struggling with how to proceed with big-ticket investments like these and how to get them to consumers. The bottom line is that for those who see the release of Mulan in any medium as an event, they may feel it’s worth it.
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com