Thoughts on Disney+ Premier Access

Photo by Alaina Burris

Disney+ seemed to be the hit of the decade when it came out in November of 2019; people had pre-ordered their subscription, others signed up almost immediately when it was released. When the pandemic started, Disney+ and other streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max, thrived. 

However, Disney took it one step further by introducing Premier Access. This process started with adding the live-action “Mulan” and going from there. 

“I believe it was worth it due to the early access and being able to watch mostly anything you want from Disney,” senior Travis Alvis says. “I love Disney movies and, like most of us, we grew up watching Disney, so it was a must.” 

After “Mulan,” Disney released “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Cruella,” “Black Widow” and “Jungle Cruise” on Disney’s Premier Access payment section. Each movie was $29.99 to purchase for its Premier Access time period. 

“I feel like it’s just a cheap way for them to make more money,” senior Bryanna Houser says. “It wouldn’t be an issue if their streaming service or Premier Access were more inexpensive, but they ask for an outrageous amount of money.”

The first two films released this way only came out on Premier Access, but the last three have also been released in theaters, allowing for Disney to make possibly twice the amount of revenue from the same film.
 

“The price to see a movie in the theater probably comes to a total of $20 to $25, including food and drinks,” Houser says. “Disney is asking you to pay $30 on top of the money that you are already paying for their monthly membership. It’s just insane.” 

With Disney being able to make twice as much money with releasing the movies in two different platforms, it became an issue when “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson believed she had a breach in her contract with the studio. 

“I believe she is in the right for what she is doing because she stated in her contract that she was unaware that it was being released on Disney+, and if it was released she would be paid for it,” Alvis says. 

The Premier Access lawsuit over Johansson’s contract did not deter viewers from seeing the film in theaters or with Disney’s streaming price. It still raked in a lot of money between the two viewing options. 

Is the extra payment on top of the subscription worth it to you?