Disney refocuses: Fewer Marvel films and Star Wars' uncertain future
In 2023, Disney+ started to make a profit for the first time, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" earned approximately £690 million at the box office, but at the same time, Disney faced a slew of costly failures. The decision-makers finally understood that when it came to their studio, quantity did not go hand in hand with quality and announced a change in direction.
12 May 2024 22:58
Studio President Bob Iger announced that soon, Marvel Studios will limit itself to producing 2 to 3 comic book superhero movies a year and a maximum of two thematic series for Disney+. This means that the company wants to return to the beginning of 2013-2015 when Marvel Studios released two movies yearly and made a fortune.
In 2023, only the third instalment of "Guardians of the Galaxy" was a hit, unlike "Marvel" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny from Disney's stable was also a financial failure. In 2024, there will be only one premiere, "Deadpool & Wolverine." Interestingly, before Iger's announcement, Disney had planned up to four comic book movies for 2025.
The company's new direction also changes how Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios operate. The divisions responsible for making family animations will now focus on sequels in the style of "Inside Out 2" or "Toy Story 5" instead of creating new (theoretically riskier) titles.
"Star Wars" not as profitable as it seemed
Disney must also conclude the problematic situation of the "Star Wars" brand. The last feature film was released in 2019, and the announcement that "Star Wars: Rogue Squadron" will be released in 2020 is still not on the horizon. The chaos in Lucasfilm also leaves it unclear what the status of the new trilogy with Rey (Daisy Ridley).
In recent years, there has been a surge of live-action and animated series from the "Star Wars" universe, yet this brand isn't the cash cow for Disney it once was. According to "Forbes," the profits derived from "Star Wars" still have not covered the costs of purchasing Lucasfilm. Let's remember that George Lucas's business life's work was sold to the company of Mickey Mouse in 2012 for £3.2 billion.
