Spider-Man movies could come to Disney Plus – in the US, anyway
Disney and Sony make a deal
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Sonyand Disney have made a deal that could make Spider-Man on theDisney Plusstreaming service a reality – though only in the US. Disney and Sony Pictures Entertainment have entered into a multi-year agreement that licenses streaming and TV rights to the studio’s new theatrical releases across 2022 to 2026.
It also covers older movies – Disney touts a “robust” collection ofSpider-Man moviesthat it can run across its platforms.Huluwill get a number of older Sony movies to stream starting in June, and other older titles that are included in the deal include the Jumanji and Hotel Transylvania series.
It isn’t specifically mentioned that Spider-Man is coming to Disney Plus – but since the press release mentions the streaming service and Spider-Man movies separately, the hope is that this is the reality Disney is moving towards. The two Tom Holland Spider-Man movies, along with The Incredible Hulk, are the only MCU movies you can’t stream on the service – this means you have to rent or buy the Spidey films if you decide towatch the Marvel movies in order.
Disney will get newSony moviesafterNetflix US, which announced its own deal with the movie studio last week. The Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies have previously been available on Hulu in the US. Other networks owned by Disney that are covered by this new deal include ABC, Disney Channels, Freeform, FX and National Geographic.
This isn’t much help if you’re a UK viewer, then, but there is some good news if you’re a British Spider-Man fan – Spider-Man: Far From Home is coming to Netflix UK on May 25.
Why aren’t Spider-Man movies on Disney Plus?
In short, while Disney ownsMarveland therefore the Spider-Man character, Sony holds the continuing rights to make movies based on the character – not to mention his villains, like Venom. That means Disney Plus has always had to do without the character’s standalone films, which is a minor inconvenience.
It’s also why Sony can co-produce the canonical MCU movies with Disney, while also making stuff that’s out ofcanon.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
The Incredible Hulk, meanwhile, has its distribution rights owned by Universal – which has surely proved to be lucrative for video on demand sales, in the wake of the MCU’s growing popularity.
This basically means you’re unlikely to ever see a full roster of Marvel movies on Disney Plus, unless Disney manages to license all of these movies from the different studios at the same time.
Samuel is a PR Manager at game developer Frontier. Formerly TechRadar’s Senior Entertainment Editor, he’s an expert in Marvel, Star Wars, Netflix shows and general streaming stuff. Before his stint at TechRadar, he spent six years at PC Gamer. Samuel is also the co-host of the popular Back Page podcast, in which he details the trials and tribulations of being a games magazine editor – and attempts to justify his impulsive eBay games buying binges.
How to watch Gangnam B-Side online – stream the South Korean drama from anywhere
‘The stakes are so different’: Endurance filmmaker on finding Ernest Shackleton’s iconic lost ship in a new documentary on Disney Plus
Herman Miller Aeron gaming chair review: premium, highly customizable comfort
