WandaVision was one of the biggest Disney+ shows planned for 2021, but the company announced today that the Marvel series’ release date is moving up to this year.
Disney revealed the news in a sizzle reel teasing what’s set to hit the streaming service in 2020. There’s no specific release date for WandaVision yet, making it unclear if it will premiere before or after Marvel’s other highly anticipated Disney+ show, Falcon and the Winter Solider. Adding the series helps Disney pad out 2020 with high-profile shows that can boost subscriber numbers.
Marvel previously teased that the events of WandaVision will be referenced in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which is still slated for May 7th, 2021. The show follows Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch and Paul Bettany’s Vision from the Avengers films.
Pushing up the release date is a smart move on Disney’s part. A couple of big Disney+ shows are planned for 2020, including Monsters at Work, a spinoff of Pixar’s popular Monsters Inc. series, and the anticipated return of Lizzie McGuire, but those aren’t exactly Star Wars or Marvel. Moving WandaVision up can help entice subscribers to keep paying. Like HBO Now after Game of Thrones, Disney will have to contend with people canceling their subscriptions as big shows disappear.
When the streaming service launched in November, there were a few breakout shows, most notably The Mandalorian. The Star Wars series (with the help of Baby Yoda) helped give Disney+ a successful start. But both The Mandalorian and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series recently completed their first seasons, and Disney was heading into 2020 without any significant blockbuster series.
Disney+ started off spectacularly, boasting 10 million subscribers within the first 24 hours of launch and millions of people watching The Mandalorian. Disney wouldn’t share those numbers unless the company was certain there would be just as many by the end of its first year; having blockbuster shows helps maintain and grow those subscriber figures. Now that The Mandalorian is done, some customers are wondering when the next big Disney+ series will arrive. Just this week, Netflix’s The Witcher surpassed The Mandalorian as the most in-demand show, bringing an end to Baby Yoda’s reign.
We’re still waiting on many details about WandaVision, including where it picks up in the Infinity Saga arc, but more information is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
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