Bob IgerCEO of Disney, has accepted the disaster that many of the films released by the studios that belong to the multinational entertainment company are going through, including Marvel productions.
He explained this during the conference with investors after the announcement of financial results for the third quarter of 2023. Films like Indiana Jones and the dial of destiny, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania either Enchanted Mansion They have been a real failure. While others, such as The little Mermaid either Elementary from Pixar, have struggled at the box office to obtain results, although the latter took off weeks after its release due to word of mouth.
“If we look at the productions we have released, it is clear that the pandemic created quite a few creative challenges for everyone, including us,” explained Bob Iger. “In addition, just when the pandemic hit, we were aiming to significantly increase the number of series and movies we released per year. And I have always believed that quantity plays against quality. And that is what I think has happened, We lost our focus.”
Still, Iger reminded investors that four of the ten highest-grossing films of 2022 are from studios owned by Disney. He mentioned, above all, Avatar: The Sense of Waterwhich has grossed $2.32 billion worldwide, and is in third place for the most successful feature films in history, only surpassed by Avengers: Endgame and the first installment of Avatar.
Bob Iger and his sneaky hit on Bob Chapek during his short tenure at Disney
Bob Iger’s comment about prioritizing quantity over quality in productions released by Disney and its studios is a sneaky jab at Bob Chapek and his short tenure as CEO of Disney.
Chapek went from leading Disney’s parks and hotels division to directing the company in February 2020. But on November 20, 2022, he was fired, and Bob Iger returned to the management of the company, to try to resolve dozens of problems they have faced after the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rumors have circulated over the years that, although Bob Iger chose Bob Chapek as his successor, he did not want to relinquish control of Disney. A report from CNBC He assures that Iger never wanted to leave the facilities in Burbank, California – where the company’s headquarters are located – and that, as the new director of the board of directors, he should report to him. He also sought to maintain control of creative properties, i.e. film and television productions.
According to the report, people close to Chapek say that the former director describes his three years at the helm of Disney as “truly hell.” He also claims that Iger mistook Chapek’s operational performance as leadership skills, but that apparently was not the case.
Others consider that Iger chose Bob Chapek as his successor because he was a person very little prone to public life, nor a manager with a lot of charisma, like Iger. I mean, he wouldn’t upstage him.
Be that as it may, Bob Iger’s comments during the conferences following Disney’s financial results announcements are a subtle, but direct reference to Chapek, and the current state of the company’s studio productions.
Marvel Studios is undergoing a major internal restructuring as a measure to make its productions good again. Failures like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania or the absolute disaster that is Secret Invasion have been very bitter proof that things have to change.