Once you have a day to circle in your calendar, it becomes an awful lot easier to just wait it out. But, usually, we're not given a hard date.
Yes, we're all aware that any movie we pay to see theaters or rent on VOD will at some point in the future be available on some service I may already pay for.
Is Disney Plus Premier Access long for this world? Giving the date away up front means you could even cancel your Disney Plus account until then, and just wait it out. I'm just curious why Disney Plus is so up front about the date the movie will arrive. Of course, some families would be annoyed if they paid for a Disney Plus Premier Access movie the day before the movie hit Disney Plus. Even if I was interested in the film enough to spend $30 to watch, telling me straight off the bat that I only have to wait a few months to get access - for no additional cost - instantly killed any chance of an impulse purchase. When Raya and the Last Dragon (and Mulan before it) was made available via Disney Plus Premier Access, all I had to do was read the text on the screen to see that it will be added to the service’s regular catalog on June 4. Disney doesn’t just make you aware that these films will eventually come to regular Disney Plus, it actively promotes that fact. Here’s the biggest head-scratcher when it comes to Premier Access. Disney Plus Premier Access encourages waiting That said, I hope that (by its July release) I can enjoy it from a theatre chair, rather than my sofa. It’s worked out well for me, though, as ultimately I’ve been able to see the film I wanted without having to pay an extra though.Īfter Cruella, the next film being added to Premier Access is Marvel Studios’ Black Widow which does seem a solid selection. I don’t understand why Disney just gave it away for nothing. It’s a film I would have happily stumped up $30 to see. They’re the very definition of films I’d only watch if I had access to them as part of a service I already pay for. Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon are exactly the types of films I’d never cough up theatre prices to see, but they add value to a streaming service that only costs a few dollars a month. However, I’d argue that the likes of Mulan and Cruella are also potential subscription drivers, while the heavy hitters should be given the premium price tag. You might suggest that Soul’s straight-to-streaming release was designed to drive core subscriptions to Disney Plus. Mulan, Raya and the Last Dragon, Cruella and Black Widow have been chosen to launch on Premier Access, while Pixar’s animated masterpiece Soul, and the studio’s upcoming film Luca, are going to be instantly tossed straight into the streaming service’s catalog at no extra cost. The biggest head-scratcher when it comes to Premier Access is the films that Disney has chosen to debut on the service compared to the ones it has just thrown straight onto Disney Plus proper. Disney Plus Premier Access has the wrong selection It makes, at least some, sense on paper.īut the way that Disney has implemented the service is just baffling. ranging from $15 on the low end to as much as $25, not to mention the cost of snacks, a trip out to the theatre for even a small family can easily run into the range of $100 and up.ĭisney Plus Premier Access is designed to appeal to families who would rather spend $30 for at-home access to a film and then buy snacks at a local supermarket. So while that $30 price is high for me, I'm not the be-all, end-all. The service is very clearly aimed at families looking to watch a new release without having to cough up crazy theatre prices. Films like Mulan and Raya and the Last Dragon have been released this way, before later coming to Disney Plus proper and being viewable by anyone with a subscription.