Disney+ ad-free subscription cost to rise by 38% in December
Disney Results FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2019, photo, a Disney logo forms part of a menu for the Disney Plus movie and entertainment streaming service on a computer screen in Walpole, Mass. The basic Disney+ service today costs $7.99 per month. Disney said it added 14.4 million subscribers to its Disney+ streaming service in the April-June fiscal quarter. Netflix ended June with 220.7 million subscribers after losing nearly 1 million subscribers in the past quarter. Disney said paid subscriptions for Disney+ grew by 31%, much of that internationally, over the same time last year.
wftv.comWhat to watch on Wednesday: “Love, Victor’s” final season airs on Hulu
MasterChef (Fox at 8) All 20 chefs must prepare something inspired by the dish that originally sent them home in the first elimination round of the season. So You Think You Can Dance (Fox at 9:01) The final 12 dancers compete in pairs showing their talents in various dance styles. SpecialsCMT Crossroads (CMT at 10) The Black Pumas and Mickey Guyton join forces to perform each other’s greatest hits. FinaleKung Fu (CW at 9) Nicky and an unexpected ally set out to finally take down Russell Tan. Love, Victor (Hulu) With post-high-school reality quickly approaching Victor and his friends work to lay healthy foundations for their futures as Victor embarks on a journey of self-discovery; all eight episodes of the third and final season will drop at once.
washingtonpost.comDisney's 'Ms. Marvel,' featuring MCU's first Muslim South Asian superhero, gets review bombed
Disney Plus’ new miniseries “Ms. Marvel,” featuring the MCU’s first-ever Muslim superhero, was subjected to review-bombing on IMDb despite receiving glowing reviews from critics. Premiering yesterday on Disney’s streaming platform, the series was flooded with negative reviews on IMDb, resulting in an overall rating of 6.5 out of 10 as of this writing, the lowest rating of any MCU show. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show currently boasts a staggering 95 percent, making it the second-highest rated MCU film or show to date.
news.yahoo.comMarvel's 'Falcon' promises action, explores race, patriotism
(Disney Plus via AP)NEW YORK – When Steve Rogers handed Sam Wilson his Captain America shield at the end of Marvel's massive 2019 event “Avengers: Endgame,” Wilson tried it on for a beat. That reluctance and skepticism is front-and-center as Wilson's story continues in “The Falcon and the Winter Solder,” a new six-episode Disney+ series that promises an exploration of patriotism and race alongside its shootouts and soaring chase scenes. While “Endgame" appeared to promise a quick transition for Anthony Mackie's Falcon to take up the Captain America mantle, as he has in the comics, the creator of “Falcon” promises only complications. AdSo will there be a Black Captain America by the time the final credits roll in April? Agent, a sometime antagonist to Captain America who twists American patriotism to darker ends.
Disney posts 4Q loss as parks business, costs drag results
Walt Disney Co. reported fiscal fourth-quarter loss on Thursday thanks largely to changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their primary focus is on making shows and movies for streaming services. Subscribers to Disney's main streaming bundle — Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu — top 120 million. Disney posted a loss of $629 million, or 39 cents per share, in the three months that ended Oct. 3. Disney said revenue at its parks, experiences and products business fell 61% to $2.6 billion.
Asian shares track Wall Street decline on pandemic jitters
Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Wednesday after pandemic concerns snapped a four-day winning streak on Wall Street. Japan's Nikkei 225 erased early losses to gain 0.2% to 23,645.81 while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gave up 0.2% to 24,608.27. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.7% to 2,386.54 and the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia declined 0.2% to 6,185.30. JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, Citigroup and BlackRock all reported stronger results for the summer than analysts had forecast. Benchmark U.S. crude oil lost 17 cents to $40.03 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Disney reorg to further bolster company’s focus on streaming
The company said in August that its Disney Plus service has more than 60 million subscribers, and subscribers to its main combination of streaming services — Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu — top 100 million. It still plans to launch another international streaming service called Star. Disney has released several major titles on streaming services that would traditionally have appeared at cinemas, like a live-action remake of "Mulan" and the upcoming Pixar film “Soul" that will hit Disney Plus at Christmas. Their primary focus will be on making shows and movies for streaming services, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a statement. Disney Plus is considered one of the most successful so far.
Adam Shankman signs on to direct “Hocus Pocus 2” for Disney Plus
Adam Shankman is ready to put a spell on you. Variety reports that he will be directing "Hocus Pocus 2" for Disney Plus. “I feel incredibly honored and humbled to be guiding forward these two Disney crown jewel legacies,” Shankman in an Instagram post. Variety reports that the original cast members are not attached to the sequel but Disney hopes they will reprise their roles. Shankman is best known for directing the 2007 version of “Hairspray,” “Step Up,” and “A Walk to Remember.”