Where did the Disney+ Willow series go wrong?
On paper, a revival of a popular fantasy film for a fresh, new streaming service bearing the Disney logo seemed like it would be a recipe for success.
However, the series debuted to mediocre reviews and never found a huge audience. The sitcom received just 0.24 million viewers each episode, according to Nielsen ratings. This is an extremely low score for a streaming series, implying that there was little interest in the show.
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.
It's also worth remembering that the original 1988 Willow film was not profitable for Disney. 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.