The Disney debate: no film is worth dying for

Marvel’s «Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings» launches in cinemas on 3 September. Only in cinemas. Six weeks later, however, it will be free to subscribers on Disney+. Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed this during his quarterly review with a poor choice of words:

An interesting experiment. Chapek may as well have said: «Let’s see how much money we make when the film is initially shown in cinemas, even though a global pandemic is raging with increasing infection and death rates once again.»

Horror. Outcry. Disgust. Because, according to widespread criticism of the aforementioned statement, Disney values money more than people's health.

The accusation: money is worth more than a life

«No movie is worth dying for,» blasts Slashfilm writer Danielle Ryan. In her article, she rails against arrogant irresponsibility. According to Ryan, Disney is trying to convince anyone wanting to see the film to go to potentially crowded sites full of unvaccinated people, depending on their country, location and current regulations: cinemas. Ultimately, «Shang-Chi», is the first Disney film since early 2020 not to be made available to stream at home simultaneously on release.

Ryan describes it as «a giant petri dish of bad decisions».

In the comments section, the writer attracted both criticism and support. «It’s questionable for a company to decide to test the public’s risk tolerance exclusively in an environment which poses a danger to their health,» wrote Ada Roberts in the comments.

Wildraspberrie countered: «But you do know that no-one has a right to have access to a film from the comfort of their own home, and that people can decide for themselves whether go to the cinema or not, right?» Wildraspberrie is referring to a day-and-date release. That means that a film can be watched simultaneously in cinemas and on streaming platforms.

There’s also criticism and outrage about the timing of the cinema release in the comments of Deadline magazine’s news article on the same subject. But for different reasons: Labor Day, the American holiday to celebrate the country’s workers.

In the US, Labor Day falls on the first Monday in September, which is 6 September this year. Historically, films released the weekend before Labor Day never perform particularly well. This is expected to happen to «Shang-Chi», too. «Shang Chi was placed on Labor Day weekend to fail. Bob wants it to fail pandemic no pandemic. (. . .) He wants Shang Chi to fail so he can go ‘see…we have to give these on Disney plus premium’,» writes Deadline reader Tony.

It’s unlikely that Disney would deliberately waste at least 150 million dollars to justify a day-and-date strategy that it doesn’t need to. Particularly as «Shang-Chi» was announced back in July 2019 and it could well have been planned for years before that.

Long before anyone could have anticipated the threat of a pandemic.

Then again: a day-and-date release is just as bad

Disney’s announcement that it will stick with the cinema release of «Shang-Chi» has fuelled accusations of greed. And this is after Disney’s previous day-and-date release strategy had been hit with months of the same criticism from cinemas and the like.

And Disney wasn't the only one.

Last December, after Warner Bros.’ announcement that all cinema releases in 2021 would be simultaneously made available on its HBO Max streaming service, Hollywood director Christopher Nolan told the Hollywood Reporter:

The anger of directors, actors and cinema operators has been growing ever since. While actors such as John Krasinski and Emily Blunt are currently in a dispute with film studio Paramount about a day-and-date release of «A Quiet Place: Part 2», actress Scarlett Johansson has brought a lawsuit against Disney.

The accusation: breach of contract due to day-and-date release.

Disney’s initial reaction to the lawsuit wasn't exactly honourable. Firstly, in that it made clear that Johansson is only interested in money, as her contract includes a share of the takings at the box office, but not income from streaming. Then, in that Disney alleged that it’s distasteful of Johansson to insist on an exclusive cinema release during a global pandemic.

These are the same allegations levelled at Disney when it comes to «Shang-Chi».

It's clear: Disney doesn’t want to be told how its films are to be released. But the pressure appears to be intense. Famous film studios such as Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal Pictures have all since backpedalled on day-and-date release. Disney has too. From 2022 at the latest, films are set to be exclusively available in cinemas for 45 days. Even earlier for some films, including «Shang-Chi».

For now, at least.

What Bob Chapek also said

«For now» because Bob Chapek’s words from his quarterly review have not always been provided with full context. Along with his unfortunate «experiment» quote, he also said:

The Disney boss didn’t actually say the words «Delta variant», but they’re there if you read between the lines. So why not release «Shang-Chi» on its Disney+ streaming service at the same time? Because:

Again, reading between the lines: «We’d rather do a day-and-date release, but, contractually, our hands are tied, so we’re making the best of it.»

Disney initially planned «Shang-Chi» as a cinema-exclusive title because cinemas are a big stage for mega events in franchises such as Marvel films or «Star Wars». The global appeal is too great, reinforcing the brand's sheer appeal in a way only cinema can. I wrote about this at the start of the pandemic.

However, whether Disney will stick to its new 45-day cinema model in the future seems anything but certain. Especially after Chapek’s comments. Ultimately, Disney’s day-and-date release model is a financial success. Plus, Disney’s streaming service is growing faster than investors predicted. Disney+ currently has 116 million subscribers.

According to the quarterly figures, «Black Widow» «only» brought in 80 million dollars at the US box office on its opening weekend in July, while Premier Access on streaming service Disney+ added a further 68 million dollars. Then there are the 78 million dollars from the international box office. All of this makes «Black Widow» the most successful cinema release since the start of the pandemic. «Jungle Cruise» did well too, making 30 million dollars from Disney+ alone.

For comparison, «The Suicide Squad», which was released in cinemas and for free on HBO Max, brought in 24 million dollars on its opening weekend. Despite excellent reviews. A total flop.

There’s also the fact that film studios don’t have to split the income from streaming services 50:50, as is the case with cinema operators; they only have to split it 80:20. From a purely business perspective, this makes a day-and-date release more worthwhile.

Especially considering the ongoing pandemic.

Exactly how sinister is Disney’s cinema release?

Is Disney just greedy because it’s only releasing «Shang-Chi» in cinemas to start with, or because it’s stuck to its day-and-date release business model before? Opinions differ. But there does seem to be a consensus on one thing: whatever Disney does, it’s evil.

However, the Walt Disney Corporation is exactly that: a company. It analyses the market and audience behaviour and develops strategies to maximise its turnover. It’s what all companies do. Or film studios. The figures certainly seem to agree with Disney. Families in particular appreciate the one-off cost of 29 francs for day-and-date release access. It’s still much cheaper than going to the cinema and paying excessive popcorn and drinks prices.

For example, in Zurich, a ticket costs 19.90 for adults and 16.60 for children. Then add popcorn at 6.60 and a drink for 4.90. That makes a total of 119 francs for two adults and two children. At home, it would be just 29 francs, plus 80 rappen for a large pack of microwave popcorn.

What sets Disney apart is its increasing monopolistic position as one of the largest media companies in the world, if not the largest. It makes Disney disliked. Open to attack. It has its critics. And rightfully so. Disney shouldn’t and mustn’t exploit its power. It’s important to keep an eye on this. But criticism should never just be for the sake of it.