Disney and Sony announce huge movie deal

Disney and Sony Pictures have agreed a deal to bring 'Spider-Man' and other Marvel projects to Disney+.

The two studios have signed a huge movie licensing pact with Sony's Marvel properties arriving on the streaming platform beginning with its 2022 release slate.

The deal - which only applies to the United States - runs through Sony's 2026 slate, and will also see the studio's titles appearing on a range of Disney platforms including Hulu, FX Networks, Disney Channels, ABC and Freeform.

Following Sony's recent output deal with Netflix, Disney's agreement will see titles landing on the former first, which will be about nine months after a movie's theatrical run.

It's expected Sony will pull in around $3 billion in movie licensing over the two arrangements.

In a statement, Chuck Saftler - head of business operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks and Acquisitions for Disney’s Media and Entertainment Distribution - said: "This landmark multi-year, platform-agnostic agreement guarantees the team at Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution a tremendous amount of flexibility and breadth of programming possibilities to leverage Sony’s rich slate of award-winning action and family films across our direct-to-consumer services and linear channels.

“This is a win for fans, who will benefit from the ability to access the very best content from two of Hollywood’s most prolific studios across a multitude of viewing platforms and experiences.”

And Keith Le Goy - president of worldwide distribution and networks for Sony Pictures Entertainment - added: "We are thrilled to team up with Disney on delivering our titles to their viewers and subscribers.

"This agreement cements a key piece of our film distribution strategy, which is to maximize the value of each of our films, by making them available to consumers across all windows with a wide range of key partners.”