Where did the Disney+ Willow series go wrong?
On paper, it seemed like a surefire formula for success- a revival of a well-liked fantasy movie for a brand-new streaming service with the Disney name on it.
The show, however, received mixed reviews upon its premiere and never attracted a sizable viewership. According to viewership date, the show garnered just 2.1 million unique viewers in its first week of release. This is an extremely low score for a streaming series, implying that there was little interest in the show. In comparison, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuted to 9.9 million unique viewers while Andor saw 7.6 million tune in.
A new report from Forbes, revealed that Disney spent $105.9 million to produce the show and then purged it from the platform on May 26, 2023, just six months after it debuted on November 30, 2022.
"They gave us six months. Not even. This business has become absolutely cruel," said Willow writer John Bickerstaff.
Budgets for streaming shows are usually kept confidential but because Willow was produced in the UK and in order to qualify for the country's 25% tax reimbursement, Disney was required to disclose how much it spent producing the series.
Although there are other factors (likely tax related), Disney removed Willow and roughly 50 other shows in a cost-cutting move that allows the company to avoid paying residuals to the cast and creators, as well as any licensing fees the removed shows may have incurred.
According to reports, there were some creative issues between the show's creator (Jonathan Kasdan, son of veteran Lucasfilm collaborator Lawrence Kasdan) and Disney Plus. This might have influenced the decision to discontinue the series.
Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians) was originally attached to the series before stepping down and being replaced by Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World). Eventually, Entwistle also decided to withdraw from the project and was replaced by Stephen Woolfenden (Outlander, Dr. Who).
It's also worth remembering that the original 1988 Willow film was not exactly a massive hit for Lucasfilm. It was created on a $35 million budget and earned only $86 million worldwide.
While there's never been any official comment from Disney, it appears that a number of circumstances contributed to the discontinuation of the Disney Plus Willow series. Viewer disinterest, hefty production expenses, and creative differences likely all played a role.
There's currently no other way to view the Willow sequel series unless you roll the dice on sketchy eBay offerings.
Twenty years after vanquishing the wicked queen Bavmorda, the sorcerer Willow Ufgood leads a group of misfits on a dangerous rescue mission into the unknown.