A new teaser trailer was released by Disney+ for the upcoming TV series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” starring Ewan McGregor. The episodic is set 10 years after “Revenge of the Sith” where Obi-Wan is hiding on the planet Tatooine as he looks after the young Luke Skywaker.
The clip also finally reveals that Darth Vader will appear in the series and there will be an ultimate showdown with the former mentor. We see in the video, even though just for the last few seconds, his suit and iconic breathing.
In addition to McGregor, cast members include: Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, Benny Safdie and Maya Erskine.
The limited series which will consist of six parts will premiere the first two episodes starting May 27th, with the remaining episodes each Wednesday on a weekly basis, with the final date on June 22.
A more permanent “new normal” appears to be emerging in effort to adapt to a post-pandemic future
The debut for WB’s slate of movies to hit streaming services concurrently with theater releases, will undoubtedly have drastic consequences for the the already hard-pressed and struggling theaters.
Warner Bros. made mention that the hybrid release is strictly due to the pandemic, yet it’s unclear how the studio will navigate with movie releases for 2022 and beyond given the new model they are setting into motion.
Movie theater stock prices fell on the news. AMC shares dropped more than 15 percent, while Cinemark was down 14.5 percent.
Following the announcement, theater chain AMC’s CEO and president, Adam Aron made note they have “already commenced an immediate and urgent dialogue with the leadership of Warner on this subject.” He continued by saying “As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense. We will aggressively pursue economic terms that preserve our business.”
Theaters like AMC were agreeable to the one time exception of the Wonder Woman:1984 release to both theaters and streaming, however it appears they appear less thrilled to be on-board with the decision to upload the entirety of 2021’s schedule of films with that same release model.
Another large theater chain, Cinemark, wasn’t able to comment on how the hybrid model would impact its theaters in the long-term, “In light of the current operating environment, we are making near-term booking decisions on a film-by-film basis,” said a spokesperson.
It’s hard to not to have seen something like this coming. Streaming videos are been on the rise. Earlier this year Disney+ released “Mulan” and Universal released “King of Staten Island” and “Trolls: World Tour” straight to on-demand platforms.
Future evolution of entertainment distribution is a big unknown, like nearly everything else
Warner Bros and HBO are doing it a little differently. What has been typical during the pandemic, is the increased number of options for premium video-on-demand (PVOD) where viewers are given access to blockbusters on the same day as theater release but are required to pay a premium price, in some cases upwards of $30.
Yet in the case of WB’s 2021 movies, provided you are already a HBO Max subscriber, you will be able to watch these movies at no additional charge, other than your monthly fee. Compared to a PVOD price of $30 for one movie, $14.99 a month for the 17 movies for 2021 seems like a no-brainer.
There is a 30-day availability limitation currently set on these special same-day release titles, but that would likely only be an issue if you wanted to sign up for a single month to game the system, so to speak.
It does appear to be the case that this announcement and others that may be soon to come, still represent a form of experimentation by WB / HBO max to see what works during a pandemic. At the same time, there are some major signs that this is the beginning of the end for movie theaters, at least as the primary vehicle for the initial release phase of major feature films.
It’s unclear whether the dual release model will set a permanent new precedent for how Warner Brothers conducts its business, as currently only 2021 films are on the table. Come 2022 it is also possible that the entire entertainment landscape will be unrecognizable, since, for example, theater chains, such as Regal Cinema, are already at the brink of bankruptcy.
Moving up the major release of “Rise” a full 2 months
Break out the lightsabers and pour yourself a tall glass of blue mile, because Monday is May the 4th (be with you), a global holiday celebrating everything Star Wars. Disney is getting in on the action by bumping up the home release of “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker” on Disney+. Releasing the ninth and final film in the Skywalker saga now comes a whopping two months earlier than its originally scheduled debut for the streaming site— a sure treat for cooped up moviegoers itching to binge more content during the quarantine.
The Star Wars fun does not stop there, though. Disney+ is also airing the final episode of “The Clone Wars” on the 4th. The acclaimed and beloved animated series has been off the air since 2014, but Disney decided to make a final season for their streaming site in 2020. Episodes have come out stagnantly since February 21st, and the conclusion arrives appropriately on May the 4th, putting Star Wars fans of the edges of their seats.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Disney+ still has one more surprise up its sleeve for the global Star Wars day. On the 4th, the site is also releasing a making-of documentary on “The Mandalorian,” the first live action Star Wars series that met immense praise at the end of 2019. “The Mandalorian” wrapped its first season in December and has already been renewed for a second and third season. It met record-breaking viewership figures and was a huge draw for Disney+ subscribers upon the service’s launch last November. Given that “The Mandalorian” sports some of the best writers, directors, and VFX people in the television game (not to mentioned executive producer John Favreau), the making-of story is bound to spark intrigue from Star Wars fans and general cinephiles alike.
Photo / Disney
Making the most of this springtime celebration of the saga to boost Disney+ awareness
Clearly, Disney is doing its best to make May the 4th a special occasion. This is the first May 4th that Disney+ has been in existence for, and it also falls at a time when audiences are stuck at home with nothing but streaming services to keep them entertained. This would not be the first time that Disney+ pleasantly surprised fans during the quarantine, though, as the site also expedited releases of “Frozen II” and Pixar’s “Onward” in light of the pandemic.
Moreover, the holiday arrives at a potentially uplifting time, as movie theaters are slowly opening up again. Perhaps a few theaters in the newly reopened Texas and Georgia will be able to host some May 4th Star Wars celebrations on the big screen.
While there are currently no new Star Wars theatrical releases on the horizon, 2020 remains an active year for the franchise. Not only is “The Mandalorian” season 2 scheduled for release in October, but the creative minds at Disney and Lucasfilm are currently working on a Ewan McGregor-starring Obi-Wan series for Disney+ as well as an enigmatic multi-media project titled “The High Republic” which launches in August. Meanwhile, the long awaited Cassian Andor series remains in development as well as an additional Star Wars show helmed by “Russian Doll” co-creator Leslye Headland.
Not only is “The Mandalorian” season 2 scheduled for release in October, but the creative minds at Disney and Lucasfilm are currently working on a Ewan McGregor-starring Obi-Wan series for Disney+
Disney’s parks—and therefore Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance rides—sadly remain closed right now. Nevertheless, the House-of-Mouse is offering a lot for May the 4th 2020. Fans will surely have more than enough to get them through the day, lost and relishing in the plethora of new and familiar stories from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
On May 25th, 1977, 20th Century Fox released a low-budget, science fiction fantasy film from an up-and-coming director named George Lucas. That movie was called “Star Wars,” and to everyone’s surprise at the time, it became a worldwide sensation that would change the face of cinema and culture forever. In the forty-two years since “Star Wars” came out, the lowly first film has inspired four sequels, three prequels, several TV shows, millions of action figures, hundreds of comics, dozens of books, numerous parodies, and countless spin-offs—not to mention video games, soundtracks, accessories, clothes and other kinds of merchandize that have been embraced across the globe.
In 2012, George Lucas sold his creation to the Walt Disney Company, and since then, new Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has revamped the franchise with additional content, starting with “Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens” in 2015 and continuing with “Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi” in 2017, along with some spinoff anthology movies and cartoon TV series in between.
Now, “Star Wars: Episode IX—The Rise of Skywalker” is just days away. This is the movie that will mark the end of the original Star Wars story that began in 1977 with episodes IV, V, and VI, continued at the turn of the millennium with episodes I, II, and III, and now wraps up with the recent Disney movies. Altogether, episodes I-IX make up the “Skywalker Saga,” as they focus on the members of the Skywalker family that the original movies revolve around.
Much has already been said about “The Rise of Skywalker,” and there is certainly a lot of pressure on director J.J. Abrams (who also directed “The Force Awakens”) to successfully follow up on Rian Johnson’s divisive “The Last Jedi” and also bring the saga to a satisfying, impactful close.
With the return of “Force Awakens” and “Last Jedi” stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Issac, “Rise of Skywalker” will be many fans’ last chance to see these actors’ beloved characters on screen. Also, veteran characters from Episodes IV, V, and VI portrayed by original actors Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDairmid, and the late Carrie Fischer will also appear in the movie, creating acute senses of nostalgia and authentic emotion.
However, as heavy as “Rise of Skywalker” might be, fans can take solace in the fact that although the Skywalker Saga is ending, Star Wars as a whole is not really going anywhere. Perhaps we may not be getting any further content focusing on characters like Luke, Leia, Rey, or Anakin, and we may not be seeing another movie in the theaters for a while. Nevertheless, under the supervision of Disney, the forty-two year old franchise is bound to continue for many more. In fact, we have already seen the next steps taking shape.
With the launch of Disney+, Lucasfilm has recently made a boom with its first ever live-action series, “The Mandalorian.” Spearheaded by executive producer Jon Favreau, the show has received wonderful reviews from critics and fans alike and it has already been renewed for a second season.
Disney+ has announced two additional live-action Star Wars series as well, each of which will focus on a pre-existing character. One will center on Cassian Andor, the rebel hero played by Diego Luna in 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” The other will be about Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi master first portrayed by Alec Guinness in the original “Star Wars” and then portrayed by Ewam McGreggor in the prequel trilogy. McGreggor will be reprising the role for the series. Evidently, at least a couple familiar faces from the Skywalker Saga will be sticking around the Star Wars universe. We can probably even expect a few surprise cameos from other fan-favorite characters and actors as well.
Aside from television, Respawn Entertainment recently released “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,” a videogame with a storyline fit for the Star Wars cannon. The same goes for “Vader Immortal” a VR experience that Disney is releasing on a one-episode-at-a-time basis. Disney also opened “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” in its theme parks earlier this year, offering its patrons an immersive narrative experience within the Star Wars universe. Clearly, Disney is taking Star Wars into experimental and expansive new territories.
Then, of course, there are still the movies—the medium from which all this fanaticism and transmedia entertainment began. While it might seem like there is nothing left for Star Wars to say after “Rise of Skywalker” closes the book on the original story, in actuality, there are many more books yet to be opened in the Star Wars universe. Rian Johnson has already been approved for his own spinoff movie trilogy, and with anthology films like “Rogue One” and “Solo” already finding success in between the Skywalker Saga movies, we can expect to see Star Wars back on the big screen soon enough.
In total, “The Rise of Skywalker” may be a little bitter sweet. We are excited to see the last chapter of this larger-than-life story, but we are also sad to say goodbye to it. Happily, though, Star Wars is one of Disney’s most lucrative pieces of intellectual property right now. Episode IX will likely be Disney’s biggest hit this year after “Avengers: Endgame,” and 2019 has been a very successful year for the company.
As long as Disney is chasing profits—which they do oh so prolifically—we can expect to see more Star Wars growing and expanding into different forms of media while also keeping a foot in their filmic origins. For even though the story famously takes place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… Star Wars will never really stray too far from its Earthly home and its die-hard fans that have stuck with it through and through.
Streaming Wars heating up and Disney+ lets loose the First Salvo
Disney+ launched in early November, and it quickly became a major contender in the world of streaming. Achieving over 10 million subscribers within a single day, the Walt Disney Company’s new site entered the streaming war with a bang, immediately establishing itself as a fierce competitor with other services such as Amazon, Hulu, Apple TV+ and Netflix.
As of right now, Netflix still reigns supreme as the most popular streaming service out there. However, Disney+ recently got their first leg-up on the streaming frontrunner, as their original series “The Mandalorian” topped Netflix’s “Stranger Things” as the most in-demand series in America according to Parrot Analytics.
“Stranger Things” Season 3 came out this past July, and it swiftly broke records as the most highly-demanded direct-to-streaming show ever created. The show then held the number one spot for an astounding twenty-one weeks. After just three episodes, though, “The Mandalorian” reached 100 million demand expressions, besting Netflix’s record and leaving the cross-generational sci-fi bildungsroman “Stranger Things” in the dust.
“The Mandalorian” was one of the most highly anticipated shows of 2019 well before Disney+ launched. An original program for the streaming service, “The Mandalorian” is also the first live-action series to take place in the Star Wars universe. It thus has a built in fan base as well as a talented cast and crew—including “Iron Man” director Jon Favreau as executive producer and “Game of Thrones” actor Pedro Pascal playing the titular bounty-hunter protagonist.
Baby Yoda is a Meme Factory already and may be Christmas Merch Hit
What is really leading the “The Mandalorian” to success, however, is the sensational “Baby Yoda” character, who debuted in the opening episode and has since become an integral part of the plot. The wide-eyed, adorable alien has ambiguous origins, but he looks like an infant version of the legendary Jedi Master Yoda, and he is effectively stealing the hearts of audiences everywhere.
Disney did not reveal “Baby Yoda”—actually called “The Child” on the show—until the series premiered. Since then, however, they company has begun capitalizing on his (or her?) cuteness with merchandize, making “The Mandalorian” an even bigger money-maker than it would otherwise be as just a high-demand subscriber magnet for Disney+.
Of course, having more “demand expressions” does not definitively mean that “The Mandalorian” is more popular than “Stranger Things.” Parrot Analytics estimates how highly demanded a show is using audience statistics as well as digital imprint data across multiple media platforms. Essentially, even though Netflix still has more subscribers to watch “Stranger Things” than Disney+ does for “The Mandalorian,” the latter is getting more buzz, appeal, and views altogether.
No Binge Watching as Episodes are Released in Sequence
Unlike Netflix series, which come out with entire seasons at once, “The Mandalorian” is getting released one chapter at a time. The first season will have eight episodes total with the last one premiering on December 27th—and season 2 has already been ordered. Furthermore, Disney+ has many additional original shows lined up for its future, including two more Star Wars series and three Marvel series. “The Mandalorian” is thus a strong starting point for Disney+ and a positive indicator that its subscribers will go up with the more original content it releases.
Netflix, however, is not out of the picture just yet. Although it will be losing a lot of its library as the streaming wars intensify, Netflix has been investing more in original productions lately. The service’s recent movies like “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story,” and “The Two Popes” have received lots of critical praise. Likewise, “The Crown” came out with Season 3 in early November, creating yet another increase in demand.
Lastly, Netflix already announced “Stranger Things” Season 4, which will likely come out in 2021. A lot could obviously take place between now and then, and there is no guarantee what will happen with Disney+, “The Mandalorian,” or the streaming wars in general before that comes out. Nevertheless, “Stranger Things” is bound to bring Netflix yet another spike in demand when it returns. Let’s just hope the service is still afloat at that time to make the most of it.
Nobody ever doubted that Disney+ would be a success. From the second that the streaming service was announced, almost everyone knew that the website—which offers nearly every film and TV show in the Walt Disney catalogue—would be an enormous step forward for the company.
When Disney+ finally arrived on Tuesday, however, it did not just meet expectations. It immediately surpassed them, surprising even its parent company in the process.
Within twenty-four hours of the website’s launch, Disney+ reached over 10 million subscribers. This is a number that many did not expect Disney+ to reach for at least a year. To put it in perspective, Disney+ already has more subscribers than HBO Now, CBS All-Access, and Showtime… all reputable services that have been in existence for several years. Disney+ surpassed each of them in the course of a single day.
Of course, this is reason for the Walt Disney Company to celebrate. Even at the affordable price of $7 per month or $70 per year, Disney+ is bound to be a financial goldmine for the company.
That being said, not all of the 10 million current subscribers are guaranteed customers. Disney+ offers new members a seven-day free trial, so we can assume that at least a few people will binge for a week and then drop the service once they have to pay. Likewise, Verizon has offered the service for free to some of its users, which could account for some of the people lumped into Disney’s hefty figure.
Nevertheless, not even the higher-ups at Disney anticipated so many people to subscribe on day one. The website’s initial activity was so intense that it actually overwhelmed the service, leaving many users with Error pages and foreboding screens reading “Unable to Connect to Disney+” accompanied by Disney’s very own Wreck-It-Ralph. Over ten thousand reports of this took place on Tuesday, making many subscribers nervous. Luckily, Disney apologized for the inconvenience and swiftly adapted to the unexpectedly large number of patrons.
The service has been running smoothly ever since, offering users everything that it advertised. With very few exceptions, the service has every piece of Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar content along with Disney classics, National Geographic shows, and several original programs, most notably “The Mandalorian,” which is the first ever live-action series to take place in the Star Wars universe.
Baby Yoda / Photo / Disney
Do I sound like a Fan? Ok, sorry, you got me
And this is only the beginning! The service promises more originals including “WandaVision,” “Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Loki,” and “What If…?” under the Marvel banner as well as two more Star Wars series: one focusing on Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi from the prequel trilogy and another one focusing on Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor from “Rogue One.” This is not even to mention all of the original movies, animated content, and pre-released Disney titles that are yet to make their way onto the service. Clearly, the current 10 million subscribers are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.
The only ones not celebrating Disney+ right now may be its streaming competitors. While Netflix responded to the Disney’s success with optimism, looking forward to improving their own brand with original content, Amazon, CBS, and other companies of the sort are probably shaking. Likewise, we can imagine that WarnerMedia, Apple, and NBCUniversal, each of whom are about to launch their own streaming services, are sitting on the edges of their seats, fearfully glaring at Disney’s instant accomplishment.
The streaming wars have begun. Many more armies are yet to arrive on the battlefield, but Disney+ has certainly made its presence known. Not even a week into its life, it is striding into combat with confidence, power, and a militia of 10 million soldiers, joyfully armed with a vast inventory of intellectual property that is far from tapped out.
Everything You Need to Know before the Launch of Full Throttle Entertainment Competition
Over the past ten years, online streaming has changed the course of television history. Services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have transformed the way that we consume media, taking the physical TV out of TV and replacing it with laptops and handheld devices. In the upcoming months, however, history is about to take another enormous leap forwards, as the addition of several new streaming services will take entertainment to entirely new, competitive, and corporately segregated levels.
Enter the New Players: Every Other Major & Minor Studio
While Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu have more or less reigned supreme as the premiere streaming services since they launched, they will soon meet a new lineup of fierce rivals on the battlefield. Over the next few months, Disney, AT&T’s WarnerMedia, Apple, and NCBUniversal will all be entering the streaming world, respectively with the launches of Disney+, HBO Max, Apple+, and Peacock… and that is just a handful of them.
For the most part, each of these new streaming platforms will feature all of the content owned and created by their respective parent companies. With a Disney+ subscription, one can watch everything from Marvel movies to Star Wars to “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” HBO Max will offer every episode of “Game Of Thrones” and “Friends.” Peacock will give you every episode of “Saturday Night Live” and “The Office.” And so on.
How will Disney Juggle their Family-Oriented Brand with their Monolithic IP Collection?
Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule. For example, Disney plans to keep its streaming service relatively family-friendly, and therefore will not be offering some of its more mature properties—i.e. 20th Century Fox content such as “Deadpool” or Miramax titles such as “Pulp Fiction,” all of which are technically under the wing of Disney, but do not fit their wholesome brand.
Owning intellectual properties from Fox, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, National Geographic and beyond, Disney+ is bound to be the biggest juggernaut in this oncoming streaming war. The service also comes at the most affordable price, costing only $7 a month as opposed to HBO’s estimated $15/month or Netflix’s current $12/month.
The Walt Disney Company is not underestimating the significance of Disney+’s launch. CEO Bob Iger has frequently mentioned that it is Disney’s most important development in the fifteen years that he has led the company—and this is the man who spearheaded the Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm acquisitions. As a testament to its importance, Disney has also dropped over a billion dollars into marketing for Disney+, recently even releasing a 3-hour long trailer showing a taste of everything the service will offer.
Corporate Segregation and the IP Divide Demands Consumer Loyalties
Disney is doing all this because they know that they will have to compete with some very skilled rivals. While Disney may have a wide breadth of content in their libraries, they are limited to their own intellectual properties. If someone is a fan of DC over Marvel, then they may take their money over to Warner’s HBO Max. Likewise, if someone is a die hard Trekkie rather than a Star Wars enthusiast, they may opt to subscribe to CBS All Access so they can watch the new episodes “Star Trek: Discovery” and “Piccard.”
This is where the corporate segregation becomes a limitation for streaming. When it was just Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu in the ring, these services would license out content from larger film studios. Netflix, for example, could write a check to Warner Brothers to have their movies and TV shows on their site. Because of multiple deals like this, subscribing to a streaming service used to mean getting access to a wide-range of content made by many different companies.
Now that the larger companies are creating services exclusively for their own libraries, taste and target audiences will play a larger role in the world of streaming. The streaming playing field is not just about to get far more competitive, but it is also about to get far more divisive. Rather than subscribe to a seemingly arbitrary collection of movies and shows via Netflix or Amazon, subscribers will have to chose based on the company whose work they prefer the most.
Will Content Variety that Consumers Crave Disappear?
Unfortunately, this means that if someone is a fan of both Harry Potter and Star Wars, they are out of luck and will have to pay for two different services to get them both. This could even lead to an issue of oversaturation, as people are unlikely to pay for five different services just so they can get the variety they desire. If that is the case, they might as well go back to paying their cable bill.
Thus, the future may lie in mergers and bundles between the services. For small additional prices, subscribers could get extra content or access to more than one streaming platform at a time. Disney has already started offering bundle plans with Hulu, which will give subscribers access to some of those less wholesome titles excluded from Disney+. This may be the only way to keep streaming sustainable and affordable in such a corporately stratified landscape.
Who’s going to be the Winner? Bet on Creativity to come out on top, every time
What will really determine who gets out of this streaming war alive, however, will be original content. Regardless of how good Disney’s library is, viewers can only rewatch the Marvel and Star Wars movies so many times before they desire something new to keep them subscribing. Therefore, original shows and films will be the key to keeping audiences invested. Netflix and Amazon have already been slowly transitioning towards this, focusing more on their own productions of lately as the licensing model fizzles out.
Likewise, Disney+ is promoting itself in part with new movies and shows—among them a live action “Lady and the Tramp” remake, a Marvel series focused on Tom Hiddleson’s Loki, and Star Wars’ “The Mandalorian.” Meanwhile, HBO Max is promising a “Game of Thrones” prequel series. It is products like this that will be available exclusively through the streaming platforms that will keep certain companies’ services afloat over others.
All in all, each company best saddle up with their best writers, directors, casts, and crews, because creativity will be the most powerful weapon in the streaming war. Whoever wields it best is most likely to stand triumphant in the end.
