We were warned that another Disney content purge was on the way, but now that the fateful day has arrived, the force of its swinging axe has left our ears ringing. From a $50 million sci-fi blockbuster to a one-season drama, multiple properties have now been reduced to just dust in the wind. Except for Nimona, of course — the LGBTQ+ animated movie continues to prove how foolish it was for the House of Mouse to sell the movie to Netflix, let alone call quits on it in the first place.
Meanwhile, Pixar is experiencing a small reprieve from drowning in bad press and all the poor box office numbers that have plagued it over the last several weeks. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on the other hand, not so much. There’s a lot to get through today, Disney peeps. Buckle up.
Disney Plus gives a $50 million sci-fi blockbuster the boot after just 7 weeks
When the sci-fi movie Crater dropped a couple of months ago on Disney Plus it was done with little fanfare and an even smaller amount of excitement. Not because the movie was bad (although it was undoubtedly not-great), but because the studio barely promoted the darn thing. Now, in a turn of events no one saw coming, Disney has decided to wipe the film fom the face of the Earth, making it no longer available to stream on Disney Plus or buy, rent, or steal anywhere else.
In a shocking turn of events, Indiana Jones loses out to Pixar in Korea
After doing everything in its power to convince people to see Elemental in theaters — even using one of its most beloved films to promote it — Pixar just couldn’t come out on top. The $200 million animated movie scored a measly $29 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, and runs the risk of joining Strange World as one of the company’s biggest box office bombs of all time. Maybe if Pixar had promoted the movie as a Father’s Day film instead of a romance people would’ve turned out to see it. Who knows? What we do know is that Elemental wiped the floor with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in Korea this weekend, besting the Harrison Ford adventure movie three weeks post its theatrical debut. Korea’s scant fondness for the Indy franchise is undoubtedly to blame, but for a film that’s seen so much strife, this is a much-needed win for Elemental, and Pixar.
Netflix rubs salt in the wound as the film Disney let go tops the streaming charts
Canceling an LGBTQ+ movie three-quarters into its completion is never a good look, but Disney did just that when it acquired 20th Century Fox prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and then gave Nimona the axe in 2021. The animated film was eventually picked up by Netflix and, upon its release, became (or would have become) the House Mouse’s best-reviewed film in seven years since 2016’s Zootopia. Instead, Netflix is enjoying all the attention. The film is currently sitting at the top of the Top 10 charts in 58 nations, so it goes without saying that the movie turned all that “controversy” completely on its head.
Another round of content purging leaves our heads spinning
Nimona and Crater aren’t the only movies Disney has abandoned. In the House of Mouse’s latest round of content purging, it has also parted ways with The Watchful Eye, and not just on Disney Plus. The well-reviewed series will no longer be available to stream on Hulu or Star Plus. It is, however, still available to rent or buy on Amazon, which is more than other shows from the first round of Disney’s content purge can say. In that vein, the company also bid adieu to Single Drunk Female on Freeform. In fact, some could say that Disney is shooting repeated bullets into its own foot by licensing out 10 of its hit series to other rival platforms, including the Emmy Award-winning sitcom Abbott Elementary.
With so many shows coming and going from Disney Plus it can be hard to keep up, but fear not. As always, we’ve got you covered: Here are the best movies and TV shows coming to the streaming platform this month.