Disney is creating a host of fresh content for its upcoming streaming service, Disney+, with some of the Marvel TV shows running up a price tag as high as $25 million per episode.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, episodes in Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Hawkeye and WandaVision will cost ‘as much as $25 million’ each. With each show reportedly set to have between six and eight episodes, this equates to a total cost of up to $200 million per series.
It goes without saying that Disney is focusing a lot of investment on Disney+, with THR going on to report that the media giant has projected a 2020 budget for original content that’s ‘short of $1 billion’.
Both Disney and Apple will be launching their new streaming services within a few weeks of each other in November, with Apple spending a similar amount on Apple TV+. For example, reports came out in August indicating that The Morning Show – starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston – would come with a bill of $300 million for two seasons. Furthermore, these two stars were reportedly paid $2 million per episode.
For context, The Morning Show’s budget can be compared with Game of Thrones’ high budget, with Variety reporting that its final season cost $15 million per episode. Similarly, Netflix invested $10 million per episode for The Crown and $8 million per episode for Stranger Things, according to further reports.
Disney+ launches on November 12, while Apple TV+ will go live on November 1.
