Disney has officially acquired 21st Century Fox, and people certainly have feelings about the deal.
The company put out a press release this morning announcing the deal, and most of the internet is focusing on what titles now live in the House of Mouse. Properties include X-Men, Deadpool, The Simpsons, Avatar, and everything from FX Networks (like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).
Now, people should be asking, “Is it good for one company to have this much power? What impact is this going to have on the film industry?” But instead, they’re asking “Is Disney going to ruin my favorite movie/TV show? Are they going to censor Deadpool?”
Relax. Take a deep breath. There is no evidence that suggests Disney is going to “Disneyfy” the Fox properties. As much as I’d personally love to see Deadpool become a princess, remember that his movie broke box office records and was critically acclaimed. The same goes for The Simpsons and It’s Always Sunny; they’re fan favorites and cash cows. Why would a company that just spent $52.4 billion in stock to acquire them want to change that? The point of business is to MAKE money.
In short, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
People don’t seem to realize that Disney has quietly been putting out edgy and adult content for decades. 21st Century Fox is now a subsidiary company of Disney; let’s take a quick look at some of the movies that the Mouse has had its hand in through other subsidiaries:
- Pulp Fiction
- Scream
- Several Wes Anderson flicks (Life Aquatic, Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore)
- Pearl Harbor
- Unbreakable
- O Brother, Where Art Thou
- Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigalo
- The Sixth Sense
- Armageddon
- Pretty Woman
- Scary Movie
- Kill Bill
- Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
And that’s a conservative list. Granted, yes, there have been exceptions. Disney wouldn’t distribute Kevin Smith’s Dogma back in 1999 due to the controversy surrounding the movie. But these examples are few and far betweeen, and Disney did end up producing and distributing Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back a few years later, a far raunchier Smith movie.
So don’t freak out just yet, at least not about the “Disneyfication” of your favorite things. If you have to freak out, freak out about one company’s quest to own all of Hollywood.
What do you think? Is the Disney/Fox deal good or bad for the industry? Sound off in the comments below.
