Disney Plus is taking heat from the media watchdog group Parents Television and Media Council after adding R-rated material to its platform, which has traditionally been known for its family-friendly content.
With the addition of “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2” and “Logan” — all three given R ratings for graphic depictions of violence, strong language and mature content — PTC is calling out Disney for going against a promise it made in 2019 not to add R-rated movies to its platform.
“Three years ago, the Walt Disney Company made a promise to families: No R-rated movies on [Disney Plus], they said. It’s a family-focused platform, they said. We have Hulu for our edgier adult fare, they said. It turns out they were lying to us,” PTC President Tim Winter said in a news release.
‘Woefully underserved by Hollywood’
Winter noted, “While [Disney Plus] points subscribers to its parental controls, the mere presence of R-rated and TV-MA rated content violates the trust and sensibilities of families. What took decades to build is now taking mere months to erase.
“One day in the not-too-distant future, business schools will point back to this abrupt corporate U-turn as they analyze what happened to the once-great Walt Disney Company. And in the meantime, families will continue to be woefully underserved by Hollywood.”
