An ICONIC Film Franchise Has (Mostly) Disappeared from Disney+

Paging Dr. Jones.

Over the past two years, Disney has arguably done more with the Indiana Jones property than they have at any other point since they acquired it with their 2012 purchase of Lucasfilm. 2023 saw the much-ballyhooed release of the first Disney-produced Jones film — Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny — to disappointing box office returns, while 2024 has seen confirmation of the longstanding rumor that an Indiana Jones-themed refurbishment is coming to the Dinosaur attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. So, with all that going on, why has most of the franchise disappeared from Disney+?

As of October 1st, the first four Steven Spielberg-directed Indiana Jones films – – Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull — have all been removed from Disney’s streaming service.

Don’t worry just yet, because there is still Indiana Jones content on Disney+ in the form of the aforementioned Dial of Destiny, as well a documentary about the making of that film as well as a more general documentary about the character and series star Harrison Ford. Furthermore, the first four films haven’t been “scrubbed” from streaming. Rather, they’ve returned to their initial streaming home: Paramount+.

As mentioned above, Dial of Destiny was the first Indy film to be produced by Disney, as the previous four had all been Paramount films. While Disney did purchase ownership of the franchise as part of the Lucasfilm buyout, distribution rights were a bit more complex. In fact, the only reason they were on Disney + in the first place was as part of a deal timed with the Dial of Destiny release, which has seemingly since expired, sending the films back to their traditional streaming home.

Currently, the only major part of the Indiana Jones unavailable on either the Disney+ or Paramount+ streaming services is the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television series, which aired from 1992 to 1996. It is available to purchase digitally on services like Apple and Amazon.

While the disappearance of the first four Indiana Jones films from Disney+ is contractually related, it comes at a time when Disney is facing scrutiny for the amount of content “disappearing” from Disney+, including a large amount of originals, series, and films that also disappeared October 1st.

Technology outlet Tech Radar reached out to Disney regarding the removals, and the company told them in a statement: “Like all media companies, we regularly review our titles and make assessments and content decisions based on what makes the most sense for the business. Collectively, it is less than 2% of our total titles globally. Fans still have unprecedented access to a wide variety of Disney’s film and television entertainment.”

Meanwhile, the Indiana Jones franchise remains a presence in Disney’s theme parks. In addition to the aforementioned new/refurbished attraction coming to Animal Kingdom, the original Indiana Jones Adventure is still a headline attraction at Disneyland, while a variant operates at Tokyo DisneySea.

There’s also an Indiana Jones coaster at Disneyland Paris, the long-running Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular at Hollywood Studios, and Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar at Disney Springs.

The first four Indiana Jones films have disappeared from Disney+, having returned to Paramount+ for now. Stay tuned for more Disney+ streaming updates.

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How do you feel about the shifting content landscape of Disney+? Let us know in the comments below.

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