In an unprecedented deal, Disney and Sony have found a way to bring Tom Holland’s “Spider-Man” to Disney+.
This massive deal will see Sony funneling lots of their content, including “Spider-Man,” to Disney owned streaming and networks. Disney’s streaming services include, of course, Disney+ but also Hulu. TV networks include ABC, Disney Channels, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic. With properties such as Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar, and their huge buyout of 20th Century, it is probably easier to list what Disney does not own.
While Disney has been swallowing up planets around the galaxy, they do not own the film rights to Spider-Man. Ten years before Marvel began building its juggernaut with “Iron Man,” it was desperate to put their flagship character, Spider-Man, on the big screen. After little success finding takers, Sony eventually bought the film rights.
You may remember a few years ago when it looked like Disney could lose Spider-Man from the MCU to Sony. After tense negotiations, Tom Holland was allowed to stay with Marvel’s expansive and profitable universe. But now, we can eventually watch all his movies alongside the other Marvel movies.
This complex and massive deal will see theatrical releases from 2022 to 2026 move to Disney after Netflix. Earlier this month, Netflix signed a deal with Sony to get streaming rights for their post theatrical Pay 1 window. After its time on Netflix, it will shift to Disney.
While the future of Spider-Man in the Marvel universe is still not set in stone, the steps by Disney and Sony seem to be setting up a mutually beneficial strategy on dealing with Spider-Man. It may still be a little bit, but the Tom Holland trilogy will be coming to Disney+ at some point in the future.
