Movie Mondays: Disney+... Plus?

Welcome to The Modern Day Renaissance Man newsletter. I, Trey Layton, write about the things that interest me, often covering topics such as startups, sports, and entertainment. If you'd like to receive these newsletters directly in your email a few times a week, go ahead and subscribe to never miss an email!

Happy Monday, folks.

Hope you all are enjoying the long weekend, and that you were able to get to a theater on Saturday for National Cinema Day when most theaters were selling tickets for $3. Perfect way to lure us in to see Top Gun for the 11th time and maybe spend the $7 we saved on an extra ice cube in our concession Coke🤪

Disney is hard at work responding to its own tweets this week. Why the weird, self-contained conversation? It's counting down the days until #DisneyPlusDay on September 8, a "day devoted to celebrating the properties that catapulted the streaming platform to prominence" according to USA Today.

The non brand BS speak? The streamer is releasing a bunch of big titles, either Disney+ originals (Pinocchio) or theatrical releases finally joining the platform (Thor: Love and Thunder) along with dozens of other movies and shows.

This countdown, which also includes promotions like AMC showings of classic fan favorites and theme park promotions, is also prepping for the even bigger D23 Expo taking place this weekend in Anaheim starting on Friday. Think Comic Con for Disney adults. Minnie bows and Baby Yoda merch everywhere.

If you can look past the early Halloween costumes, though, there is an actual conference slate with a series of interesting panels and speakers representing some of the company's most valuable IP, past, present, and future. In case you needed any further proof that Mickey really does own everything, just watch as Marvel, The Simpsons, and Encanto all battle it our for (mouse) ears.

There's also likely to be big news about future projects across brands including Star Wars, Pixar, and Avatar. Moving to the small screen, I selfishly hope to hear news about deeper ventures into the gaming space. Not only is there tons of potential for expanding the company's identity into a rapidly growing space, but the company still owes fans big-time for that flop of a Jedi Knight game. Here's to hoping for an excuse to juice up on Mountain Dew Game Fuel. However, the potential announcement that I am most intrigued by is one that relates more to the Disney brand as a whole.

I'm talking Disney+... Plus? Like Amazon Prime and Apple One, Disney has reportedly been exploring a broader brand subscription service in which members receive benefits and rewards across the Disney catalogue. This might include discounts and perks on streaming, merch, and theme parks for a yet-to-be-disclosed monthly subscription. While the program has yet to be confirmed (and insiders say that it is still in very early stages), it seems that Boss Man Bob has seen the flocks of Disney adults trending on social media and wants to capitalize on their self-assurance that booking six trips a year to Orlando is "totally normal!"

Again, Disney is not the first to explore these massive bundles. Prime gets you free shipping along with Prime Video and discounts at Whole Foods. Apple One gets you access to all of the Fruit's seeds such as Podcasts, News+, and Fitness+. Even Walmart announced its own subscription complete with streaming from... Paramount?

And, despite this proven success, not even Apple among this group has the devoted following that the House of Mouse does, creating a favorable outlook on the potential for the company to cross-sell and convince fans to pay for this Disney combo meal even when they would never spend money on some of the products individually.

It is also just the latest example of how the company is embracing technology to maintain its edge. Beyond its streaming and social media presences, Disney is also leaning into the potential for tech to provide company insights and consumer experiences. They're introducing an embedded Disney+ QR code allowing users to purchase merch while watching the associated content.

Personalized customer recommendations can also be gained through insights like tracking how much a user engages with certain brands. For example, Disney can measure the amount of time someone spends watching She-Hulk on the app and Marvel rides in the parks and can then target that customer with promotions for those massive Hulk gloves we all secretly wish we had.

It is likely that Disney won't be the last brand to move towards super subscriptions. With the number of devoted Hannah Montana lovers out there, though, it might be the most successful of the bunch.

This past week's box office numbers:

Eek. If you have yet to watch Bodies (x3), I highly recommend that you immediately do so. One of my favorite watches of the summer.

Another slow week if you like new movies and shows. If you like re-releases of movies like Avatar, Spiderman, and Pitch Perfect? Well, I bet you're just giddy.

• After Ever Happy (9/7 via theaters for one day only before eventually releasing on Netflix; I guess somebody enjoys this series or there wouldn't be a fourth, but like... why?)

• Pinocchio (9/8 via Disney+; already mentioned but good cast and Disney originals haven't let me down yet)

• The Rings of Power (every Friday via Amazon Prime Video; first two episodes are already out and I actually prefer it to HOD...😬)

What movies/shows will you be watching this week? Shoot me an email and let me know!

Cheers to another day,

Trey