Disney Makes ‘Crater,’ ‘Artemis Fowl,’ Other Titles Removed from Disney+ Available for Digital Rental, Purhcase
If your favorite movie was pulled as part of Disney+’s cost-saving measures earlier this year, there’s a good chance you can find it on platforms like Prime Video now.
The handbook for turning streaming losses into profits is fairly short. It really only has three main steps: launch an ad-supported tier, raise prices on ad-free customers, and remove titles from streaming platforms that no longer drive sufficient engagement. Disney can check all three items off their list this year; the company is preparing to execute another round of price increases on Thursday, Oct. 12, and has cut big swaths of content from Disney+ and Hulu alike.
- Some films cut from Disney+ are now available to rent or buy for as little as $3.99.
- Era of deepest cuts on Disney+ is likely over.
- Movies are available on platforms like Prime Video, iTunes and more.
Disney’s content cuts first began in May, when the company purged dozens of titles from its platforms. Among those films were adaptations of beloved books like “Artemis Fowl” and “The One and Only Ivan,” as well as the Disney+ Original “Crater,” which was on the service for under two months before being pulled.
What Was Old is New Again
So why is Disney+ choosing to revive these movies on transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) platforms like Prime Video? The short answer, of course, is money. There’s no good reason to let the movies rot on the discard pile when their fans might be willing to pay $20 to own them forever, and it’s reasonable to assume that other companies like Paramount will do likewise with their purged streaming shows, if they haven’t done so already.
Many of these films had been slated for theatrical release when they were first conceived. But the COVID pandemic threw a wrench into those plans, and many of the films were hobbled from the outset as a result. Now, they have a chance at a new life.
Which Removed Disney+ Movies Are Available for Purchase or Rental?
The titles available for fans to rent or buy from digital platforms like Prime Video now include:
- “Crater”
- “Artemis Fowl”
- “Better Nate than Never”
- “Cheaper By the Dozen”
- “Stargirl”
- “The One and Only Ivan”
- “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made”
- “Wolfgang”
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Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”
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Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.
