Deftones

Looks like if you pay for Mulan, you will have "continuous access" as long as you sub to Disney+. Info here: https://www.darkhorizons.com/mulan-p...inuous-access/

cultshock

Exactly, me too. Not sure why people are bitching, if you think it's too expensive, all you need to do is wait a few months. This is new territory, no one knows what price is too high for a film like this, you can't blame Disney for testing the waters to see what at which price the majority of consumers would balk at. They don't want to leave money on the table without trying first.

I was thinking that, it's really a good idea for Disney. They already have the credit card info, the customer already has the streaming app, and Disney doesn't have to share the streaming revenue with Amazon, Apple, etc. This might be the new normal, Warner films premiere on HBOMax, Universal films on Peacock, etc. You know the other studios will be watching the results of this experiment with extreme interest.

Kal-El

Eh. It's less than I would've paid for in the theatre for 2 adults and a kid so I'm fine with this. I pre-paid my D+ for 3 years so I don't mind the additional $30. I recognize I'm in the minority though.

Obi-Wanma

I find the way they're wording this amusing. You're not paying for "continuous" access in perpetuity as long as you're subscribed to Disney+. You're paying for continuous access for a few months until everyone gets continuous access.

fujishig

Well, unless they start rotating things in and out of Disney+ like HBO is doing.

Deftones

You assume they are going to throw this on there immediately. Maybe they don't and keep trying to "sell" it to subs.

E Unit

Lighten up Francis. Disney+ isn’t a rental service - yet.

Boy, you get worked up easily.

Artman

Wasn't it about 6 months for Toy Story 4 and Lion King to go to D+ from theatrical? I suspect it'll at least be that long for PVOD to do the same, after a few months they'll prob drop the price to $20 and than $10, just to get as many purchases as possible.

tanman

This is a great point. They can spin this like a win for the consumers while judging future possibilities of distribution all while in private for the actual numbers coming in.

I still think there's just no way they make what they would make during the before times releasing it in theaters. BUT they MAY make more then they would have had they released it in theaters this year. And delaying it to next year might just be too long.

tanman

Me? You're the one that keeps bringing it up how $30 is a ridiculous amount of money to pay for a movie that costs at least $200 million to make.

Lets just agree that this will be a fascinating experiment in these different times.

E Unit

That’s pretty much what I’ve been saying. Let them learn the hard way. And yes, you’re right, I shouldn’t be talking about the set price of the rental.

Groucho

So you have to have to pay $30 AND has a subscription to Disney+? Let's hope this fails spectacularly, otherwise expect other services to start charging for "early access" to their more popular IPs.

TomOpus

Since it's just me, I doubt I'd pay $30 for Mulan. I'd probably go for Wonder Woman 84 or Black Widow if it goes that far.

Mike86

I’m torn because I feel like this is a test to get more films this way. Part of me wants to buy it, but I wish it was something I wanted to see more. If this was for Black Widow I’d probably do it easily.

fujishig

Disney exec: hmm... ok, what about $40? Oh wait I meant $50.

Draven

If I go see any movie in the theater by myself, it's at least $10 for the ticket. I get concessions too because that's half the fun of going to a movie. So I'm in for at least $20 on everything I see solo. And seeing it in the theater is JUST like a rental, without the added perks of being able to pause it to go to the bathroom or whatever. And eating my own food (I'm not bringing a pizza into the theater). Then a few months later when it comes out digitally, I buy it for $15-20. So I'm in for $40 on almost everything I see.

So I'm already paying for Disney+. If we rent Mulan and watch it as a family, I'm already paying less than I would in theaters. And later when it comes out on iTunes, I'll pay $15 to own it. So the money spent is virtually the same - along with the aforementioned perks of pausing it and eating my own food.

If you just look at as dollars to dollars, it really doesn't seem that crazy.

Obi-Wanma

This is a forum of cheapskates, of which I am one. If I'm going to see a movie by myself (or with a buddy), I go on Tuesday, when all tickets are $5. On Tuesday, a medium popcorn is also free. If I want something to drink with my popcorn, I sneak it in. If and when I ultimately buy it, I pay $10-15 for the Blu and digital copy. So I am out max $20 (or $21 if you want to count the beverage that I am sneaking in). This at least twice as much as that, and I don't get the theatrical experience that I still enjoy very much.

Note that I am not knocking anyone who wants to buy it and believes that it is worth their money, that's for you to decide. I am just stating why it is not worth it to me.

fujishig

I'm fine with justifying purchases and all but when did going to a theater become such an onerous experience for people instead of an added benefit (gigantic screen, incredible sound, getting out of the house, etc.) I know home theaters have become a lot better but I would say for 95% of us if not more, our home stuff doesn't compare to the theater experience.

But yeah, if going to a theater is a nuisance and not an experience, of course this is better.

Groucho

Again the crazy part here isn't the cost, it's that you have to be already subscribed to a streaming service that is supposedly "all you can watch".

DJariya

I think going to the theatres is a "challenging" experience for people with families, especially little kids. People who like to go by themselves or go with a buddy or their significant other is probably less challenging.

Everyone has a different situation with their life and families. And many don't have the same kind of time for entertainment as many do. So the mixed reaction is understandable.

fujishig

Oh, trust me, I haven't been to near as many movies after I had kids, and even Alist didn't really bring me back to theaters enough to make it worthwhile (i basically donated money to them). But then I wouldn't take my young kids to Mulan anyway, and if I did it would mainly be to get them out of the house.

Maybe it's weird for me to say but one of the hidden benefits of going to the theater is that you can't pause the movie: you're there just to watch a movie, so the focus is solely on that and not everything else that your family wants to do, and oh can you pause it and hey let's just watch the rest tomorrow. Plus the screen and all that. Like when I take my kids to go see something in the theater, it's a special treat. Otherwise let's just watch everything on our tablets because hey, I'm still watching it, right?

Jay G.

For my wife, it's when a significant portion of the other patrons became inconsiderate jerks that talk and/or check their cell phones during the screening. I have to basically drag her to a theater in the best of times.

Plus, I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a pandemic going on right now. I'm not going to a theater again until this disease is under control, so probably not for a year or possibly more.

In that light, paying $30 to experience a theatrical release "day and date" with with its theatrical premiere isn't too crazy to ask.

That said, I'm a cheapskate and am patient. I already wait for the bulk of new releases to hit home video or some streaming service, and I'm not really lacking for content to watch on my TV, so I can wait for this to be included for no additional cost on Disney+. Hell, I still have the 2009 Chinese version of Mulan that I need to sit down and watch.

fujishig

Oh yeah, I deliberately left out COVID, I mean the justification that it's the same price as going to the theater if I buy popcorn argument. Of course this is what they have to do right now (well, not this exactly, but some kind of VOD release).

PerryD

Mulan will have been "delayed" for 5 months, so it still feels a bit like a money grab at the $30 price point. Worse case is the studios should treat it as a one time rental, but provide you with a digital code to redeem when it releases digitally later.

DJariya

The movie is staying on your subscription of Disney + as long as you remain a member. You're basically unlocking it early to watch it in the theatrical window. So you don't technically "own" it. But, it's yours to watch as many times as you want.