Captain Marvel will be the first Marvel Studios film not going to Netflix as Disney continues to gear up for its own streaming service called Disney Plus. The move to no longer make the film, alongside its other releases in 2019 be available on the platform will apparently lose the House of Mouse a whopping $150 million in operating income.

The next project on the MCU docket, Captain Marvel will debut the franchise’s first female headlining hero, Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, it’ll be set in 1995 and will incorporate the Kree-Skrull war in its narrative. However, unlike its predecessors, Netflix subscribers won’t be able to enjoy it (and all Disney movies that come after it) at the comforts of their own homes after its theatrical run unless they also sign up for Disney Plus.

In a report by Deadline, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirms that Captain Marvel will be the first Marvel Studios title to not arrive on Netflix. But despite the massive income cut of $150 million as estimated by CFO Christine McCarthy, Iger maintains that the upfront loss will eventually be better in the long-run considering the potential of Disney Plus. He said that these business decisions are “all designed so that long-term this business will become an important part of Disney’s bottom line.”

Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings has previously said that they’re not worried about the forthcoming competition, although many are convinced that their recent move to the cancel the majority of their Marvel TV collaborations such as Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil is the first step to totally severing their working relationship with Disney.

“What we’re basically trying to do here is invest in our future… It’s almost the equivalent of deploying capital to build out our theme parks. This is a bet on the future of this business.

“In terms of making decisions about where content goes. Since we are betting on this direct-to-consumer business long-term we obviously need to fuel it with intellectual property.”

This means that Ant-Man & the Wasp is the final Marvel flick to be available on Netflix. Further, Avengers: Endgame which rolls out less than two months after Captain Marvel, as well as Spider-Man: Far From Home will never be available on the existing streaming platform. Outside of the MCU, upcoming high-profile Disney flicks such as the live-action adaptations of their classic animated films such as Tim Burton’s Dumbo, Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin and Jon Favreau’s The Lion King; Pixar’s Toy Story 4; as well as Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Episode IX won’t also be coming to Netflix.

With a packed film line-up, it makes sense why Disney is effectively ending their working relations with Netflix this year. Two of their biggest franchises are wrapping up their current narratives in MCU and Star Wars, and both Endgame and Episode IX are expected to be massive blockbuster hits. This means that offering them on Disney Plus will be a great way to lure potential patrons. The impending Fox acquisition more likely bolstered their confidence that their own streaming service will work considering that it significantly pads their content catalog. Of course it remans to be seen whether or not Disney Plus will be an immediate hit, but that initial $150 million loss may not even matter that much if the service takes off.

More: Why Disney Plus May Have Problems Releasing Internationally

Source: Deadline

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