Sony Films Will Head to Disney After Netflix Window Expires
Disney+ will soon be home to Spider-Man, and a whole lot more. In a new deal, Sony Pictures’ upcoming theatrical slate will hit Disney’s streaming and TV platforms after their PVOD windows on Netflix have ended. The deal is for Sony’s theatrical slate from 2022 to 2026, as well as a good chunk of Sony’s library. This will bring Sony’s films to Disney’s major streaming services, Disney+ and Hulu, as well as their TV networks, including Disney Channels, ABC, FX, and National Geographic.
This marks the second major deal involving Sony in the past few weeks. The first saw Sony films heading to Netflix for their first-pay windows—these typically arrive 18 months after a movie has premiered in theaters. The deal with Disney kicks in once that window has expired, with Sony’s films landing on Disney’s platforms for their pay 2 windows.
Sony’s library includes, of course, Spider-Man. But everybody’s favorite web-slinger isn’t the only hot commodity Sony has (although he’s a big one)—and their upcoming 2022 slate alone is worth singling out. Their slate includes director David Leitch’s star-studded action flick Bullet Train, which boasts Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga, and Sandra Bullock in the cast. There are also their non-Spidey Marvel properties, like the Jared Leto-led Morbius, and the Hotel Transylvania and Jumanji franchises. Oh, and yes, 2022 will bring Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, the sequel to the critical and commercial smash original that gave the world a new kind of superhero film, with its candy-colored, comics-inspired animation and multiple universes of Spider-man characters.
Disney+ is home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the Sony-released Spider-Man films, 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home are not available there. Once the upcoming Netflix window expires, however, those films will be available for Disney+.
“This groundbreaking agreement reconfirms the unique and enduring value of our movies to film lovers and the platforms and networks that serve them,” Keith Le Goy, president, worldwide distribution and networks, Sony Pictures Entertainment, said. “We are thrilled to team up with Disney on delivering our titles to their viewers and subscribers. This agreement cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximize the value of each of our films, by making them available to consumers across all windows with a wide range of key partners.”
Featured image: Spider-Man in Columbia Pictures’ SPIDER-MAN: ™ FAR FROM HOME. Courtesy Sony Pictures.
