When a showrunner speaks freely without a producer looming over their shoulder, the revelations can be staggering.
Tony Gilroy, the mastermind behind Andor, dropped a bombshell at the ATX Festival’s roundtable, peeling back the curtain on Disney+’s inner workings and the grim outlook of its leadership. In a candid moment, he also revealed the jaw-dropping budget for his Star Wars series, leaving jaws on the floor.
Andor, an original series in the Star Wars universe, cost Disney a staggering $650 million—more than any film in the franchise’s sequel trilogy. Yet, despite this massive investment, the show’s profitability remains shaky.
Gilroy had to fight tooth and nail to secure funding for the second season, a battle that exposed a harsh truth: Disney+ executives have lost faith in their streaming platform’s future. According to Gilroy, top brass admitted that the idea of sustaining their own streaming service is “dead.”
Money for passion projects is drying up, and it’s unlikely to flow again anytime soon. While Gilroy managed to negotiate the budget for Andor’s next chapter, the experience left a bitter taste — one that likely fueled his willingness to speak so openly.
As of 2025, Disney+ boasts 124.6 million subscribers, but retention is a growing problem. Subscriber numbers are quietly declining, and while the platform’s monetization is still satisfactory, it’s far from a triumph. Cost-cutting has become the name of the game, with funds reserved only for surefire hits. For a company like Walt Disney, long assumed to have bottomless pockets, this shift is telling.
The numbers paint a stark picture. Disney+’s subscriber base, while sizable, pales in comparison to Netflix’s 300 million-plus. Posts on X echo this sentiment, with users noting Disney’s struggle to keep viewers hooked amid a crowded streaming market.
The platform’s reliance on marquee franchises like Star Wars and Marvel hasn’t translated into sustainable growth, and the $650 million price tag for Andor has sparked debates about fiscal recklessness. As one X user put it, “Disney+ is bleeding cash on projects that don’t guarantee returns. No wonder they’re panicking.”
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Gilroy’s revelations confirm what many have suspected: Disney+ is in trouble.
The service’s ambitious launch in 2019 promised a new era of storytelling, but the reality is a platform stretched thin, slashing budgets, and banking on a handful of hits to stay afloat.
While Andor’s critical acclaim proves Disney can still deliver quality, the question is whether it can afford to.
If even the House of Mouse is doubting its streaming dream, perhaps it’s time the industry — and its audience — starts talking about it.
