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Bob Iger Rethinks Disney’s Marvel Strategy, Focusing on ‘Quality’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that the company is rethinking its content strategy for Marvel, with plans to drop down to two movies and TV shows per year.
Iger called the franchise’s previous output level “a vestige of basically a desire in the past to increase volume,” while on a Q2 earnings call. “We are slowly going to decrease that volume.”
“[We’re] working hard with the studio to reduce output and focus more on quality,” he added, noting that “overall I feel great” about the future of Marvel.
The shift in strategy comes after years of lackluster releases. While Marvel is still able to produce a hit every few projects, the majority of its shows and movies fall flat, especially given their price to make.
While most of the public believes the recent flops are a result of “superhero fatigue,” Marvel insiders blame the drop in interest on a shift in the movie industry as a whole. Nonetheless, Disney is clearly hoping that a reduced output will allow fans to catch up with the series and allow time for hype to be generated for upcoming projects.
The change in Disney’s Marvel strategy coincided with a shift in Disney’s content plan as a whole as the company looked to refocus itself on producing original shows and movies alongside preestablished IPs. Iger, however, noted that he continues to believe in the power of sequels, given that they already have an established identity with the public.
“We had gone through a period where our original films in animation were dominating,” Iger said. “We are now swinging back a bit to lean on sequels.”
Disney is releasing INSIDE OUT 2 and TOY STORY 5 this summer, along with DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE and new CAPTAIN AMERICA and AVENGERS movies as well.
With the profitability and overall success of the company coming into question over the past year due to poor performance across all sectors, the company believes this shift in strategy puts it back on the path to success and global dominance that it held not too long ago.
“We certainly feel very good about the upcoming slate [and] that the business should get back to profitability,” said Disney CFO Hugh Johnston. “We certainly feel good about it being a healthy, profitable business over time.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Disney’s future plans:
Disney’s Chairman of Experiences, Josh D’Amaro, will head the company’s $60 billion theme park and cruise investment scheme over the next ten years.
His next moves must be carefully planned if Disney is going to make a return on its gigantic investment.
“At his disposal is a wealth of unexploited IP (at least in parks and cruise lines) and more than 1,000 acres of land available for development across the company’s six resorts,” The Hollywood Reporter said.
“We will have enough room to build the equivalent of another Disneyland Park. And so then you start to think about, ‘Well what can we do here?’ ” D’Amaro said. “We haven’t told anything, any stories on Wakanda. We haven’t told any stories on FROZEN, although it’s a 10-year old franchise. You think about franchises like COCO and ENCANTO. We almost have an endless stream of stories that we can tell.”
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