As the streaming wars heat up, Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo say that the race to watch is between established champion Netflix, and new contender Disney+. Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, the company now owns a massive percentage of the entertainment market. But while Disney is far ahead of the competition at the box office, it will have to play catch-up when it comes to streaming.
Disney officially unveiled details about Disney+ in April, including its competitive price point of $6.99 a month, its planned launch date of November 12, 2019, and a slate of both archived and original content that will be available within the first two years of launch. This lineup includes Marvel Cinematic Universe spinoff series like Loki, WandaVision, and Falcon & Winter Soldier, as well as Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian and original movies, including a live-action Lady and the Tramp.
However, as Joe Russo mentioned, Disney+ has some catching up to do in terms of content. Netflix has more than 5000 titles available in its U.S. catalog, including hundreds of original titles. That being said, Netflix has been called out for the mixed quality of its originals, and also for failing to properly promote many of them. Disney also already has a foothold in the streaming market, as the company owns a controlling share of Hulu (and may soon be the sole owner).
While there have been some concerns that the easy availability of movies and TV shows at home could harm the box office, Avengers: Endgame’s $1.2 billion opening weekend doesn’t support that fear. “Some say the death knell for theatrical is streaming,” Russo said, “But [Endgame] is proof that they are supercharging each other.”
More: Every Single Original TV Show & Movie Coming To Disney+
Source: Variety
