UPDATE: Nope. Disney’s Communications team reached out to us to let us know this was a mistake. They’ve actually removed a lot of scheduled content from the April 1st video and reposted it on Twitter (but not YouTube).
A new era is almost upon us once more. After Disney bungled the game-changing moment where they opened Disney+ USA to Rated R and TV-MA content by only providing 6 total TV-MA titles from one brand (Marvel), and not announcing any further roadmap or plans, they’re finally ready for more. Many found it bizarre that they didn’t add any Rated R films on “Unlocking Day” as we’re going to call it.
Today, in Disney’s April 1st video, the first ever R-rated film appeared… and it’s a choice. Most assumed Disney would stick to the Marvel thing for a bit and christen the service with Deadpool or Logan.
Instead, they’re randomly adding a 2001 Fox film starring Jet Li: Kiss of the Dragon.
It’s an odd choice. It is not an established franchise or respected IP. Dropping the Aliens or Die Hard franchise would have blown people’s minds and is what we would have done. It’s also not well reviewed.
It’s also a disappointing choice since we’ve covered Disney’s inability to utilize the Fox library in USA ad nauseum and really just wanna have a chill night, okay? But yeah, it won’t last more than a few months as is the average amount of time a Fox film lasts before it heads to Epix, HBO, Starz, Hulu, Prime Video, YouTube Movies, or Peacock.
Buyout the many Fox library deals, Disney.
Kiss of the Dragon is streaming on Disney+ April 29th. The first of, we sure as hell hope, many, many rated R films.
Drew Ryan is a film, TV, and Disney geek. He has degrees in English, Student Personnel Administration, and Library & Information Science from Lawrence University, Concordia University-Wisconsin, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Interested in the minutia and licensing of streaming service content, he is always publishing lists, suggestions, and advocating for Disney’s missing library to be added to Disney+. Drew subscribes to Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, and Paramount+. You can find him waxing nostalgic over classic Disney Channel or geeking out over Marvel, CW shows, & Disney on Twitter.
