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Fans discussed what they believed to be some of the biggest reasons for Disney movies’ and shows’ recent failures.
It’s no secret that the Walt Disney Company has been struggling lately both at the box office and online. In fact, many (Disney included) have noted how the company’s theatrical performances and streaming service numbers have not been up to par at all.
Recently, some fans posited a theory as to why this might be the case.
Disney+ is Disney’s premier streaming platform / Credit: Disney/Canva
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Fans Suggest Lack of Social Media Marketing Leads to Disney’s Failure
Fans took to Reddit to discuss why Disney shows and movies might be struggling, and the discussion opened with one suggesting it had to do with “their inability to market their content on social media. Meanwhile Netflix and Max seem to spend the most on social media marketing and it shows.”
In shared photos, the fan noted the drastic difference in the number of social media followers Disney+ (written as Disney Plus on YouTube) and DisneyPlus Hotstar had compared with Netflix. (1.48M and 5.56M vs. 27.6M and 23M respectively).
One of the biggest reasons for Disney’s failure in recent times is their inability to market their content on social media. Meanwhile Netflix and Max seem to spend the most on social media marketing and it shows.
byu/Pep_Baldiola inDisneyPlus
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Whether it’s a film from Walt Disney Animation Studios or Walt Disney Pictures, Disney has simply struggled lately. Think of recent flops like Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, and even The Little Mermaid live-action (though that was one of Disney’s better-performing ones).
The situation has gotten bad enough that even Disney CEO Bob Iger has addressed the problem, explaining that Disney is going to be changing its strategy when it comes to its productions. From here on out, Bob Iger asserted that Disney would be returning creative power back to creatives and focusing on “quality over quantity.”
Of course, this means that for any future releases from Walt Disney Animation Studios hitting theatres like Moana 2 later this year, it’s incredibly likely that Disney will truly deliver quality-wise. However, it still doesn’t take care of the issues the fan brought up, something that many noted about the marketing for 2023’s Elemental as well.
Elemental, a summer theatrical release from Disney, was criticized for lack of proper marketing as well / Credit: Disney
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But many fans did not agree with the OP’s comments, noting that Disney’s marketing budget often focused more on the movies that were released in theaters (as opposed to the streaming platform-specific comment the OP made). They also noted that Disney did not need as much marketing since it’s a household name and much more widespread.
Some even argued that the OP was using the wrong accounts to illuminate their point, and that they needed to check the followers for Pixar or Marvel instead.
What do you think of this criticism? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned to Disney Fanatic for the latest Disney news!
The fact is, consumers have migrated to streaming which offers a rich selection of programming. Plus people assume any theatrical release will hit streaming in a few months. This is true for all studios. There will always be a few breakthrough films like Barbie and Mario Bros. But, the blockbuster may the exception not the rule in the future.