Disney, the biggest film company in the industry, dropped their new platform a year and a half ago, called Disney Plus. The platform has done nothing but gain popularity since then due to all the new and original TV shows such as WandaVision and The Mandalorian. They have officially surpassed 100 million subscriptions less than a year and a half since the platform was launched. In contrast, Netflix took ten years to pass this milestone, according to Business Insider. With all the Disney parks forced to shut down, people still want to enjoy Disney’s content, and Disney Plus perfectly fills that gap. 

“Disney Plus gave my family enjoyment by doing movie nights, movie weekends, etcetera,” said Zeyue D., who subscribed during the pandemic. 

In February 2021, Disney Plus reported 94.9 million subscriptions, which was 21 million more than November 2020, according to Newsweek. This is mainly because there were three major releases between November 2020 and February 2021: The Mandalorian, straight to Pixar’s Soul, and then nine episodes of WandaVision. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also recently boosted subscriptions after its debut on March 19th, 2021.

CEO Bob Chapek has big plans for the future of streaming platforms. He experimented with premier access for the new movie Raya and the Last Dragon, and he said that he liked the results and will continue to do more premier access in the future. Premier access is where the user has to pay $30 to watch the movie as soon as it’s released. Premier access movies will become free in about three months. Chapek also wishes to release more than 100 new titles every year, including Disney Animation, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. Analytics expect 230 to 260 million subscriptions by 2024, according to CNBC, a politically focused magazine. 

Another aspect that factors into the popularity of Disney Plus is the price. Compared to other streaming platforms like HBO Max, which costs $15 a month, and Netflix, which costs $9 a month, Disney Plus, sitting at about $8 a month, has pretty good value. 

“Disney Plus has all the Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and all the old Disney movies. You would have to pay about four bucks for that on Amazon, so just two rentals already cost more than Disney Plus for a month. It also has all the new shows, like Loki,” said subscriber Ruhaan A., who subscribed before the pandemic.                                                                     

With so many streaming services available, though, some people are reluctant to keep adding to the pile. 

“I do think Disney Plus is a little too expensive, considering you can only watch so much on the app. My suggestion is to go to a friend’s house and watch it there,” said Zeyue. 

Some people just don’t think Disney Plus is worth it because even though the library of collections is huge, it just doesn’t compare to Netflix. Disney Plus has 7,500 television episodes and 500 film titles, according to the official website. Netflix has at least 15,000 titles as of February 2021, based on Comparitech, a technology-focused website. Netflix has been around for a lot longer than Disney Plus, so naturally, Netflix has a lot more content. Netflix also has a 30-day free trial, whereas Disney Plus only has a 7-day free trial. Despite these facts, Disney Plus is expected to pass Netflix by 2024, according to Business Insider. Everything considered, the value of Disney Plus is ultimately worth it. 

Disney Plus has been hugely successful recently, scraping in millions of subscribers for each show or movie produced. The platform has a bright future. Surpassing 100 million subscribers in such a relatively short time is a milestone in the entertainment industry.