'Mulan' Effect?… Disney+ App Downloads Surge After Streaming Release

▲A scene from the movie 'Mulan' produced by Walt Disney.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the release of the movie 'Mulan' through the online streaming service Disney+ led to a 68% increase in Disney+ app downloads over the past weekend, Bloomberg reported on the 7th (local time).

According to market research firm Sensor Tower, last week Disney+ app downloads reached 890,000. Consumer spending through the app also surged 193% compared to the previous week, reaching $12 million (approximately 14.2 billion KRW).

The production company Walt Disney released Mulan in theaters in regions where Disney+ service has not yet launched, such as South Korea, but in the United States and other areas, it premiered online via Disney+ starting from the 4th.

Disney+ paid subscribers pay about $7 per month, but to watch Mulan, they must pay an additional $30 on top of that.

Bloomberg analyzed that the unusual premium video download numbers are seen as a test to determine whether streaming subscribers are willing to pay extra fees to purchase content.

Hollywood studios have been experimenting with different release strategies due to the COVID-19 situation that shut down theaters worldwide. In April, Universal Studios released 'Trolls: World Tour' online for $20.

Earlier, Walt Disney released 'Hamilton' online for free in July. According to Sensor Tower, during the first week of Hamilton's release, Disney+ app downloads increased by 79%, or 1 million downloads, compared to the previous week.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.