Some Written Off Disney+ Original Films Are Now On Digital Markets
Here they stand in the light of day again, thank goodness
Remember back in May when Disney removed over 50 titles from Disney+ and Hulu because they wanted to cut costs by not paying residuals, and taking an impairment charge to write off over $2 billion dollars? Most of those titles, as you’ll recall, ran the full gamut of series and movies, including launch title The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Earth to Ned, and the Willow series, Lucasfilm’s first non-Star Wars release since the Disney purchase, and both Stargirl films. These removals left the titles with no availability, especially because Disney+ titles tend to not get physical releases, leaving many to believe it was a more severe write-off.
Now, several of the removed films have made it onto the digital marketplaces in the United States, namely Vudu, iTunes and Amazon. Available for rent at either $3.99 or $5.99 or purchase at $19.99. These titles include Crater, starring McKenna Grace and Kid Cudi which premiered on May 12 and only spent 48 days on the service before being removed with the others. The others that made it to the market are the Cheaper by the Dozen remake with Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union, Flora & Ulysses, which actually got linear airings on Disney Channel in March, Better Nate than Ever, the Academy Award-nominated The One and Only Ivan, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, and Hulu’s Rosaline.
It isn’t known whether this is just a first batch, but there’s no publicly revealed definitive strategy as to how any of the other still-gone works will be made available again, whether more stock on the digital markets or licensed to other streamers or a mix of both. It’s still a good first step for not only fans but the casts and crews themselves who need it so they have something to show for their work.
Source: What’s On Disney Plus