Disney+ had to cancel its European launch party in London this week after attendees realized they wanted to be there for a good time and a long time. The event, like many happening in the industry right now, has been hit with a wave of coronavirus fears as the confirmed cases toll rises, according to Deadline. Disney planned the lavish event on March 5 to “celebrate the European launch of Disney+,†featuring speeches from key executives and a number of special guests.
“Due to a number of media attendee cancellations and increasing concerns at the prospect of traveling internationally at this time, we have decided to cancel our Disney+ launch events scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday,†Disney said to Deadline. Hundreds of guests were expected to attend. Instead, Disney+ will promote the launch on social media and through press releases. Select journalists will get to demo the streaming platform in London this week. Disney just announced their partnership with Sky Media in Europe. Sky subscribers will be able to use Disney+ through their existing cable boxes. The coronavirus pandemic has already killed over 3,000 people and infected 90,000, with numbers jumping sharply in parts of Europe. Suffice it to say, they’ve got bigger problems than whether or not they’ll get The Simpsons.