Disney+: released in May, this film was quietly removed from the streaming platform

A film that has become invisible

Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (13 Reasons Why), The Crater tells the story, in the 23rd century, of a band of children living on a lunar mining colony, and setting off to explore a mysterious crater. A science fiction adventure for young audiences, which was released on May 12 on Disney+.

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With a comfortable budget of $53 million, The Crater has in particular in its cast the young Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: The Legacy), Billy Barratt (Mary Poppins Returns) and rapper Kid Cudi (The Harder They Fall, Entergalactic). A beautiful set, for a film which is however legally invisible since this week.

Why such a withdrawal? And why such discretion? If Disney has not revealed the reasons for this “silent” gesture, this deletion is part of the great purge of content launched by the group for several weeks, and this to save on costs (royalties to beneficiaries, maintenance, taxes, etc.). Mickey’s firm hopes to reduce the value of its assets by $1.5 billion, and consequently its tax bill.

Thus, if the film is not watched enough, its profitability is no longer attractive and it is more financially profitable for Disney to remove it from its service. A coldly industrial reflection that has just removed The Crater of any legal offer.

A trend that is not likely to stop, the Warner Bros. Discovery having adopted the same strategy and recently removed hundreds of content from its streaming platforms.

Morality: hang on to your DVDs and Blu-rays, they will (very) soon be the only guarantee of still being able to watch your favorite films and series.