Disney+ has reported a much more significant subscriber increase than HBO Max did following the release of Soul and Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day. Both movies were released on streaming after initially being set for traditional theatrical releases. After being delayed over a year, Wonder Woman 1984 was released in theaters and HBO Max in the USA (the first of many Warner Bros. releases set for this plan). While Soul didn't get a theatrical release in the USA and was only available on Disney+, but worldwide it was available both digitally and in theaters.
Both films were seen as a watershed release for their respective studios, as neither Disney nor WB had ever released a big-budget holiday movie straight to streaming. The decisions were seen as starting a new era in Hollywood, where streaming will become increasingly important. Many believe that 2020 may have signed the death warrant for the traditional theater-only release. That may be a premature statement, but the point remains that studios are shifting their focus to streaming, especially for the next year as the coronavirus pandemic is expected to affect audience willingness to attend the cinema.
A new report from Bloomberg says that both Disney+ and HBO Max saw significant increases in subscriber numbers thanks to the releases of Soul and Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day, but Disney+ was the big winner. The report states that HBO Max saw a record of 554,000 app downloads on the weekend following the release of Wonder Woman 1984. But that was blown out of the water by Disney+, which saw over 2.3 million new app downloads following Soul's release. The numbers, though, don't include installations on smart TV apps, including Roku and Amazon FireSticks.
The news is not surprising, considering that HBO Max is currently only available in the USA, while Disney+ operates in several major markets worldwide. The media giant benefits from having a much larger footprint globally, something reflected in the subscriber numbers Disney+ gained in its first year. Heading into the holidays, the streaming service had already surpassed 86 million subscribers, initially the number Disney was aiming for in its first four years. HBO Max, on the other hand, only has around 12 million subscribers.
However, despite Disney+ and Soul being the clear winners in this mini-battle, it's not all bad news for HBO Max. The 554,000 subscribers was a record for the streamer, and there's no doubt the decision to release Wonder Woman 1984 the same day as theaters will be seen as a big success for Warner Media, who owns both WB and HBO Max. The signs are good that WB's 2021 release strategy will pay off in larger subscriber numbers, allowing them to compete with Netflix and Disney+.
Source: Bloomberg