Disney Plus Axes Original Film 7 Weeks After It Airs, Reveals Fatal Flaw in Disney Content

With over 100 original films and television shows and counting dropped from Disney’s streaming service, there’s no telling which project will be next on the chopping block. Three years since Disney launched Disney Plus, the Walt Disney Company continues to move its content around like a Rubik’s cube to perfect its profitability.

Since the second-quarter earnings call when Disney CEO Bob Iger asserted content removal was on the horizon in an effort for Disney Plus to cut costs, Hollywood names like Bryan Cranston have been shocked to learn their films were on Disney’s list. But with a $5.5 billion cut from Disney’s budget, it’s only a matter of time before other actors discover their films and TV shows left in the dust.

With intentions to streamline Disney Plus and Hulu to maximize profits, popular projects like Cranston’s The One And Only Ivan (2020), Zach Braff’s Cheaper by the Dozen (2022), and Emilio Estevez’s The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (2021) have already gotten the axe from Disney Plus. But a film released two days after Iger’s Disney Plus announcement reportedly also just got the (space) boot.

Crater-Sized Hole on Disney Plus

Crater, the film directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Crater stars Ghostbusters: Afterlife star Mckenna Grace and superstar Kid Cudi has been dropped from Disney Plus according to Discussing Film:

‘CRATER’, starring Mckenna Grace and Kid Cudi, has been removed from Disney Plus due to cost-cutting reasons. The film just released on Disney Plus on May 12.

‘CRATER’, starring Mckenna Grace and Kid Cudi, has been removed from Disney+ due to cost-cutting reasons.

The film just released on Disney+ on May 12. pic.twitter.com/MdkVBbQpGz

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 3, 2023

With a budget of $53.4 million, Crater follows a group of four friends as they navigate a lunar mining colony and explore an epic crater. With a respectable 64% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie featuring Isaiah Russell-Bailey is nothing to scoff at.

Although it didn’t debut as a smash hit, it was abruptly removed from the streaming service after just seven weeks in the library. Disney hasn’t released an explanation, but it could be assumed the original movie wasn’t turning a profit large enough to justify its spot on Disney Plus.

Removing original content like Crater opens up a conversation about Disney’s promotional practices. In a popular thread discussing the film on Reddit, u/chewytime pointed out a fatal flaw in some of the lower-budget projects on Disney Plus:

Don’t even remember seeing this on my D+ front page or any other ads for it. I feel like outside of Marvel or Star Wars stuff, D+ hasnt been the best about promoting their new content.

Does Disney Plus Have a Promo Problem?

Marketing isn’t cheap. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which opened to worldwide theaters on June 30, was one of the most expensive films of all time with its $300+ million budget. According to Collider, the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid had another hefty budget of $250 million and reportedly cost $100 million to market.

In other words, Disney is no stranger to breaking out the big bucks for its box-office movies. But the original content paying rent on Disney Plus is rarely promoted with as much enthusiasm. It wouldn’t make sense to invest the same costs into a film available in fans’ living rooms, but a typical response to the projects being cut from Disney Plus is that people weren’t aware they were even on the platform.

Crater might not have gotten rave reviews from the few who could watch it, but would it have done better with more marketing behind it? The answer is likely yes. The same applies to other recently-cut projects like “Willow,” “The Mysterious Benedict Society,” “Just Beyond,” “Rogue Trip,” More Than Robots, Magic Camp, Big Shot, and more.

Disney Plus streamers will see more library changes over the following months, but there’s no telling which projects will prove profitable enough to stay in the streaming game.