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Reportedly costing around $180 million, The Acolyte has one of the highest budgets among Disney Plus series, and it's expected to exceed that figure once production costs are fully tallied. Disney's leadership, notably under CEO Bob Iger, has expressed a desire to curb excessive spending on some projects, yet The Acolyte has evidently not followed that trend.
This hefty investment appears especially curious given the show's emphasis on niche themes—such as diversity and representation—which some critics question may not account for a broad audience. Is this massive spend justified if the core audience is relatively small, or is it a calculated gamble by Disney to attract new viewers through cultural representation?