Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company appears at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, California on August 9, 2024.
Araya Doheny | Entertainment Getty Images | Getty Images
When Disney When CEO Bob Iger took the stage at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, on Friday night, the crowd erupted. About 12,000 Disney fans stood and cheered, causing the 73-year-old CEO to grin as he tried to calm them down.
“I was going to say good evening and thank you for that warm welcome, but it was more than a warm welcome,” Iger told those gathered for Disney’s first presentation at the biennial D23 Expo.
This is the first time in five years that Iger has attended Disney’s biggest fan expo event, as he has temporarily retired from his CEO role for nearly two years before returning to the helm in November 2022.
His absence coincided with a downturn in Disney’s theatrical business, which, like other studios, was disrupted by pandemic-related shutdowns and twin Hollywood labor strikes. But the company’s post-pandemic box office performance was also hurt by executive decisions to ramp up content production to support its fledgling streaming service Disney+. Iger himself has admitted repeatedly that Disney sacrificed quality for quantity, and that was his goal when he returned to right the ship.
On Friday, he opened a three-hour presentation filled with explosions — sometimes literally, since Disney loves to use fireworks — detailing a slew of movies, TV series, and stage productions coming out over the next few years.
As the company looks to rebuild its reputation and recapture the magic at the box office, it’s leaning heavily on existing and beloved brands. And as it ventures into new territory, it’s tapping tried-and-true talent in front of and behind the camera.
Revisit old favorites
Going into D23, Disney has two huge box office hits from two major film franchises.
Pixar’s latest film, “Inside Out 2,” is now highest grossing animated film of all time, reaching $1.5 billion at the global box office. The first R-rated film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — “Deadpool & Wolverine” — broke the opening week record for an R-rated film and is expected to cross the $1 billion mark this weekend.
To kick off Friday’s entertainment, Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson were joined by a group of Polynesian dancers and drummers to perform a song from the upcoming film “Moana 2.” The highly anticipated sequel to 2016’s “Moana” hits theaters over the Thanksgiving holiday and is expected to become Disney’s third billion-dollar film to be released in 2024.according to box office analysts.
While the first film grossed less than $700 million at the global box office, audience enthusiasm for “Moana” content is expected to drive strong ticket sales in November. After all, it’s the most-streamed movie of 2023.
H/O: Still image from Moana 2 trailer.
Source: Walt Disney Studios
Sequels and prequels are a theme at Disney and across Hollywood. While Iger has warned investors in the past that the company will be more selective about the past stories it continues to explore, its entertainment slate includes many spin-offs to popular franchises.
This is especially evident in both of their animation studios. Of the seven theatrical titles Disney touted during its presentation Friday, five were from existing franchises — “Moana 2,” “Toy Story 5,” “Zootopia 2,” “Frozen III” and “Incredibles 3.”
It’s no surprise that Disney is back with these films. The Toy Story series has made $3.2 billion at the global box office, the two Frozen films have crossed $2.7 billion worldwide, the two Incredibles films have topped $1.8 billion globally, and “Zootopia” hit $1 billion worldwide during its 2016 run.
Fans have already gotten a glimpse of two original Disney films — “Elio” and “Hoppers” — that have very different tones. One follows a boy who goes into space when he’s mistaken for Earth’s leader, while the other focuses on a young girl who “jumps” into the body of a robotic beaver to go undercover in the animal kingdom.
Of course, there’s some star power behind these titles. “Elio” is directed by Adrian Molina, who co-wrote 2017’s “Coco,” and will feature Zoe Saldana (“Avatar,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) in the voice cast. “Hoppers” has Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) and Bobby Moynihan (“Saturday Night Live”) voicing characters.
It’s clear that Disney’s strategy across all of its studios is to provide audiences with a slate of familiar favorites along with some new entries.
At Lucasfilm, the first Star Wars movie since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” will be released in 2026 and is titled “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” The film will follow the beloved couple from “The Mandalorian.” Footage from Friday’s screening shows Mando and Grogu on an icy planet battling Stormtroopers and AT-ATs.
The Mandalorian and Child (Grogu) in Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”
Disney
Lucasfilm is also set to release the second season of “Andor,” a series that takes place before “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and follows reluctant hero Cassian Andor as he travels through a world gripped by the Galactic Empire.
Among these popular stories is also “Skeleton Crew”, considered an adventure series similar to “Goonies”. The film stars Jude Law and a cast of four kids who accidentally fall into space and get lost among the stars.
There are two more Star Wars feature films on the schedule — with release dates of December 2026 and December 2027 — but it’s unclear who will direct them or which storylines Disney will focus on. Star Wars remains one of the top franchises at the global box office, having generated more than $10 billion in ticket sales since “A New Hope” hit theaters in 1977.
Other sequels coming to Disney’s big screen in the coming years include a third Avatar movie titled “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” a “Freaky Friday” sequel titled “Freakier Friday,” and a third “Tron” movie titled “Tron: Ares.” There’s also a live-action remake of “Snow White” hitting theaters in March and a live-action “Lilo and Stitch” movie coming out in late 2025.
A great new strategy
At Marvel Studios, a shakeup is underway. The studio is in the process of balancing stories that focus on existing characters while also trying to bring new heroes—and villains—into the fold.
Marvel was always going to have a hard time following “Avengers: Endgame,” but few anticipated the beloved studio’s rapid demise. After Thanos’ defeat, Disney released 10 TV series (some with multiple seasons) and dozens of theatrical films. The glut of content felt like homework to audiences who were used to everything Marvel had to offer, and worse, much of what was released was unpopular.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s weakest point came in 2023 with “The Marvels,” which had the lowest domestic opening ($46.1 million) and lowest global box office (under $200 million) for the series.
Moving forward, the studio appears to be limiting the number of series it produces for Disney+ and focusing on the big screen. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who wowed audiences at San Diego Comic Con just weeks ago with the reveal of the new title and the shocking announcement that Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to play Doctor Doom, still had some things to share with the D23 crowd.
Robert Downey Jr. speaks onstage during the Marvel Studios Panel in Hall H at SDCC in San Diego, California on July 27, 2024.
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In addition to “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts*,” “The Fantastic 4: First Steps,” “Blade,” “Avengers: Doomsday” (formerly known as “Avengers: Kang Dynasty”) and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” Marvel will have three TV series streaming on Disney+ in the next few years.
“Agatha All Along” premiered in September and focuses on the villain Agatha Harkness from 2021’s “Wandavision” as she seeks to regain her powers alongside a group of other witches. Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as Agatha and the cast includes Aubrey Plaza and Patti LuPone.
“Ironheart,” starring Riri Williams, who appeared in 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is scheduled to be released in 2025 alongside the reboot “Daredevil: Born Again.” Notably, the Daredevil series features the entire main cast of Netflix’s “Daredevil” series.
D23 audiences welcomed the announcement of Marvel’s slate, a sign that interest in the superhero genre has not waned. That enthusiasm, combined with the studio’s new strategy, could put the MCU back on track.
Of course, Ryan Reynolds might want some credit, considering his recent performance in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” In a pre-recorded video for Friday’s premiere, Reynolds thanked Disney and Marvel for letting the film mock the studio.
“It was my way of showing love,” he said. “And of course, saving the studio.”
Since the first MCU film was released in 2008, the series has generated more than $30 billion at the box office. The MCU is the highest-grossing film series of all time and one of the most consistent ticket sales drivers in cinematic history.
“There’s nothing we love more than entertaining you, exciting you, surprising you and filling your hearts with joy and wonder,” Iger said Friday. “And we know that when we do all of those things, we’re doing our job right.”
