Disney CEO Bob Chapek Is Making Bold, Questionable Moves; Will Disney+ Offer Horror Titles?
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger officially departed the company at the end of December 2021 and his successor Bob Chapek has been changing things up ever since.
Iger had long resisted a cheaper ad-supported subscription for Disney+. Now that Chapek is in charge? Well, those plans are already in development.
Now, just months after Iger’s departure, executives at Disney are exploring the idea of adding horror and thriller genres to the family-friendly streaming service. Yes, that’s right. Disney+ — with its Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar offerings — may be getting closer and closer to resembling a more adult-focused service than any of us could have ever anticipated.
The question becomes, if this unthinkable move does eventually happen, where does that put Hulu? Disney’s hub of more adult-focused dramas, comedies, thrillers, horror movies, and much more could be getting completely screwed over. While Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox is giving Hulu popular franchises like “Avatar,” “Free Guy,” “Predator,” “Planet of the Apes,” and more — the lack of next-day NBC show releases could be detrimental to Hulu’s subscriber growth.
Also, Disney+ has announced an updated set of parental controls as Marvel series Netflix and ABC like Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “The Punisher,” and “The Defenders” are moving to the formerly kid-friendly platform this month. This leaves us to believe that Disney could be moving towards a future consolidation of the two platforms, or at least to have them be eerily similar.
In addition, Chapek made headlines on Monday when he sent an email to Disney staffers defending his decision to stay silent on a discriminatory Florida bill. He wrote, “I do not want anyone to mistake a lack of statement for a lack of support. We all share the same goal of a more tolerant, respectful world. Where we may differ is in the tactics to get there.”
This upset many employees since the bill would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida schools. Furthermore, an Orlando Sentinel report revealed that Disney has donated money to every single sponsor and co-sponsor of the bill.
Former associates of Iger believe he would have spoken out against the legislation had he still been running the company. In February, Iger was very vocal about his opposition to the bill, tweeting that it would “put vulnerable, young LGBTQ people in jeopardy.”
There is even a petition that fans can sign at Change.org calling for Chapek to be fired over his handling of the situation.
“[Chapek] consistently put himself and money above the product, and quality of the company,” the petition stated. There are currently almost 100,000 votes with a maximum amount of 150,000 allowed. While online petitions like these rarely move the needle at major corporations — especially when it comes to executives who are making shareholders money — it will be interesting to see how Chapek’s continued divergence from Iger’s philosophy impacts the way that Disney operates in the future.
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.”