Disney+ has added its first-ever R-rated movies in the United States.
Is Deadpool on Disney+?
Starting last Friday, July 22nd, the 2016 film Deadpool and its 2018 sequel Deadpool 2 are available for streaming on Disney+. The two movies, as well as the 2017 movie Logan, which also made its Disney+ debut last Friday, are the first R-rated films to stream on the platform, which notably launched as a family-friendly streamer back in 2019.
Why is Disney+ adding R-rated movies to its library?
Though Disney+’s family-friendly strategy has worked out so well ― attracting almost 140 million subscribers in under three years ― since its launch, CNN Business reported that the streamer needs to grow its library with content for all ages in order to compete head-to-head with rival platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
However, the addition of Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Logan to Disney+ doesn’t necessarily mean that the streaming service will be soon overrun with mature content, as it seems that the platform is only planning to add very popular R-rated films to its library.
For instance, both Deadpool movies, starring Ryan Reynolds in the titular role, made a combined $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office. And Logan, which stars Hugh Jackman as the mutant Wolverine, scored $619 million at the worldwide box office and even earned an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.
Other mature content on Disney+
While Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Logan are the first R-rated movies to become available on Disney+, they aren’t the first titles on the streamer that feature mature content. The Marvel series Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Punisher, and The Defenders, which were all originally from Netflix, are considered to be the first batch of Disney+ titles that are deemed not suitable for very young audiences.
All these shows made their Disney+ debut last March 16th. But a couple of weeks before that, the streamer prompted all its users in the U.S. to update their parental controls, giving them the ability to select content rating restrictions for each profile as well as adding a PIN that can lock user profiles. These features are new to the U.S., but they have previously been tested extensively on international versions of the Disney+ app.
