Disney CEO Bob Iger explained that the company will be reducing the number of sequels and television spinoffs they put out every year.
The entertainment exec made the comments during a quarterly earnings call Tuesday. Iger said this decision is part of Disney’s broader strategy of shifting focus from quantity to quality, which is “particularly true with Marvel,” per Variety.
“We’re slowly going to decrease volume and go to probably about two TV series a year instead of what had become four and reduce our film output from maybe four a year to two, or a maximum of three,” Iger said. “And we’re working hard on what that path is.”
The exec continued, saying Marvel has “a couple of good films in ’25 and then we’re heading to more ‘Avengers,’ which we’re extremely excited about.”
“Overall, I feel great about the slate. It’s something that I’ve committed to spending more and more time on. The team is one that I have tremendous confidence in and the IP that we’re mining, including all the sequels that we’re doing, is second to none,” Iger said.
The only Marvel movie coming out in 2024 is “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
The outlet noted that Marvel Studios has four films scheduled for 2025, including “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts,” “The Fantastic Four,” and “Blade.” The studio also has several films slated for 2026, including the fifth “Avengers” movie.
Iger has expressed his intention to reduce the number of sequels and franchise films in the past, but this is the first time the Disney CEO put a specific number on it.
When asked to explain the balance of content, Iger said, “We’re gonna balance sequels with originals. Specifically in animation, we had gone through a period where our original films and animation, both Disney and Pixar, were dominating. We’re now swinging back a bit to lean on sequels.”
Disney has had more than its fair share of box office flops in recent years, especially in the superhero genre. Both “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels” were box office disappointments in 2023.
Iger was formerly the CEO of Disney from 2005 until 2020. He was replaced by Bob Chapek and then reinstated to his position in November 2022 when Chapek got fired. In November, Iger said he believed the studio was too focused on sequels.
“I don’t want to apologize for making sequels,” he said at the time, also admitting that “we’ve made too many” and “we have to have a reason to make it beyond commerce.”
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