Last summer, Walt Disney Studios announced a Disney+ $30 add-on called Premier Access for the release of Mulan in place of the big-budget live action film coming to theaters amidst closures. Although specific metrics were not released for Mulan, outside data seemed to suggest success for the company. Disney then decided to make Raya and the Last Dragon available to view at home for an extra $30 with a Disney+ subscription, as well alongside a theatrical release. So, how’d it do?
New data found Raya and the Last Dragon had 20% less purchases on Disney+ during its early March opening weekend that Mulan had last fall, per Antenna. The analytics startup additionally found there to be a 30% decline in signups for the streaming service between March 5 and 7 in comparison to the first four weekends Mulan was available on Premier Access (via Business Insider).
In other words, Raya and the Last Dragon reportedly did not attract a ton of new subscribers to Disney+ during its debut weekend, nor did it match early Mulan purchases. When Niki Caro’s live-action remake came out, data suggested that the movie drove up Disney+ install rates by 68% and consumer spending on the app grew nearly 200% for the September release. Evidently Raya’s impression is much milder.
All this being said, Antenna’s data should not be taken at face value, because it presents neither the entire picture nor the raw data from Disney+. The startup reportedly pulled its data from opt-in panels on platforms, such as budgeting apps. But since Disney does not disclose its numbers, it’s the closest idea we have of how Raya and the Last Dragon did on Disney+ Premier Access.
Another factor here is the fact that Raya and the Last Dragon went to theaters and streaming at the same time, while Mulan was exclusive to Disney+ and some international markets. But Raya has underwhelmed at the box office too, scoring just $68.4 million worldwide after three weekends in theaters. It initially opened to $8.5 million, below Tom & Jerry’s $14 million debut the weekend prior.
Still, Raya and the Last Dragon was released during COVID times and is technically the 2nd highest grossing domestic release of 2021 thus far. The Premier Access model must be working for Disney in some capacity considering the company just announced this week that two of its summer flicks, Cruella and Black Widow, will come to theaters and be available to stream for the $30 Disney+ price tag as well.
Warner Bros is using a similar concept for all of its 2021 movies by releasing them both to theaters and offering them to HBO Max subscribers. In that instance, they are offered without an additional fee, but only for a 30-day window. Did you purchase Raya and the Last Dragon on Disney+ for $30 since its release? Vote in the poll below.
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