Holding a movie or TV show you love in your hands just hits different. Yes, odds are that the show or movie is available to stream somewhere, or maybe you even bought a digital copy. But knowing that you can watch it at any time, put it safely on your shelf, and hopefully learn a bit more about it thanks to special features, has always been a treat.
At Disney, that’s maybe even more true. The company is well known for giving classic animated titles, big blockbusters, and more massive, feature-packed releases with awesome artwork and more. Now, that’s not necessarily going away, but recent layoffs at the company are going to change it in a big way.
You probably heard that last week, about 1,000 people were laid off in the first big cut of new CEO Josh D’Amaro’s reign. That included many of Marvel Studios’ most talented visual development artists, executives across several departments, and more. Here, though, we’re going to focus on the home entertainment department, which reportedly had its entire publicity team sent home.
According to Vulture, “discs will continue to be produced,” but sources tell them, “They also worry that new releases won’t receive the kinds of promotional efforts that have helped make Disney successful at market in the past.” Under the new structure, those duties will be handled by the theatrical publicity staff. That staff, in recent years, also had to absorb all the streaming content, such as Disney+ and Hulu. So, where other companies have dedicated staff to handle all of those titles at various stages, Disney, which is arguably the biggest of the bunch, has now completely consolidated them.
Let’s break this down. Disney releases about 12-15 movies in theaters per year. Add to that all the titles—shows, movies, etc.—that go directly to streaming; it’s got to be three to four times that, at least. Then, add many of those movies and shows a second time when they come back around for physical media. You couldn’t blame anyone if that last step in the process got a little bit less attention.
In the past, any time a big title—like a huge animated anniversary or a new Star Wars or Marvel movie—came home, there was a lot of buzz about it. Disney released clips, cut new trailers, commissioned new artwork, etc. Will that still happen? Apparently. But, even if it does, it just might become much, much harder for you to hear about them. And that’s a real bummer.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
