Disney revealed on Tuesday that it will pull all of its films — as well as Pixar’s — from Netflix as of 2019 in order to launch a proprietary streaming service.
However, there is a chance that forthcoming releases from Disney’s Marvel and Lucasfilm properties could remain on Netflix. Reuters, citing Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos, reports that the streaming giant is in “active discussions” with Disney about keeping future Marvel releases like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America on the platform. Netflix also hopes to retain streaming rights to upcoming films in the storied Star Wars franchise.
When Disney announced its streaming service earlier this week, CEO Bob Iger said the company had not decided where future Marvel and Lucasfilm premieres would stream. It’s possible that Disney could launch another self-branded service specifically for these titles.
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Sarandos called Disney’s move “a natural evolution,” and said that the company’s forthcoming SVOD service would be “complementary” to Netflix. “We got into the originals business five years ago, anticipating it may be not as easy a conversation with studios and networks [to license their content],” he told Reuters.
In addition to serving as the exclusive streaming home for new live-action and animated movies from Disney and Pixar — such as Toy Story 4, the sequel to Frozen, and a live-action reboot of The Lion King — Disney’s new streaming service will also house past films from its catalog, as well as TV shows from the Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD. Disney will also fund original content for the service.
