Lucasfilm
Disney+, the media giant's streaming-video service that is set to launch later this year, will have a ton of high-profile shows and movies. But don't expect any Star Wars movies to make their debuts there.
"Almost every movie the [Disney] studio makes is a $100 million-plus movie, and we're not looking to make movies at that level for the service," Disney CEO Bob Iger said in an interview with Barron's, referring to Disney+. "We wouldn't make a Star Wars movie for this platform."
Iger also said he doesn't know how much subscribing to the service will cost. "We haven't even decided what we're going to charge for it," he said. Iger previously said that Disney's streaming service will be priced below rival Netflix's monthly rate, which is $11 a month for a standard plan in the US.
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Disney, by taking over major parts of 21st Century Fox this year and launching a streaming rival, is aiming to build a Hollywood juggernaut that can do battle with deep-pocketed tech companies, such as Netflix. Those companies have eye-popping budgets and are pouring money into TV and film production.
Disney is planning to invest significantly in television series on a per-episode basis for Disney+, including Marvel and Star Wars series, Iger said in Friday's report. And the company is looking to make movies that are "higher budget" for the streaming service too, just not to the level of a Disney tentpole film like Star Wars Episode IX, set for release in theaters late this year.
All of Disney's theatrical movies will eventually stream exclusively on Disney+, even if they don't premiere there.
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