Amidst growing criticism of multiple Disney franchises, like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the company is looking to reframe how it creates content, according to the company’s top executive.
Last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company would be examining all the aspects of its content business as it looks to push for quality over quantity in film and TV.
Iger shared his thoughts while speaking at a Morgan Stanley conference, saying that the main focus will be on how much Disney spends on content and how many projects it produces going forward.
“I’m really pleased that the support that I’m getting from the content creators of the company is significant and real, and it comes in the form of reducing the expense per content, whether it’s a TV series or a film, where costs have just skyrocketed in a huge way and not a supportable way in my opinion. They all agree to that,” Iger said.
The CEO, who recently rejoined the company, also shared that the decision is about understanding how much volume the company needs for its platforms and if there is space to push movies or TV shows to third parties.
“As we look to reduce the content that we’re creating for our own platforms, there probably are opportunities to license to third parties,” Iger said. “For a while, that was verboten or something we couldn’t possibly do because we were so favoring our own streaming platforms. But if we get to a point where we need less content for those platforms, and we still have the capability of producing that content, why not use it to grow revenue? And that’s what we would likely do.”
However, Iger did clarify that Disney’s core franchises would remain exclusive to the platforms it owns and operates.
Since the release of Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which saw the culmination of 10 years worth of storytelling come to a close, there has been heavy discourse on whether or not the MCU would reach its peaks again.
Some online have been critical of recent films and TV shows, including “She Hulk: Attorney at Law,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Eternals,” and more, saying that the studio has focused too much on the number of titles instead of the content inside.
The head of the MCU, producer Kevin Feige, has taken notice of the rhetoric, going as far as to delay production of the upcoming film “Blade” after he was not satisfied with the script. The film, set to star Mahershala Ali, has since been put back on track.
Iger also appears to be hearing what’s being said about the current state of Marvel, as he touched on it during his speech, saying that a new game plan may be needed.
“What we have to look at, at Marvel, is not necessarily the volume of Marvel storytelling, but how many times we go back to the well on certain characters,” Iger said. “Sequels typically work well for us, but do you need a third or a fourth, for instance? Or is it time to turn to other characters? There’s nothing in any way inherently off in terms of the Marvel brand. I think we just have to look at what characters and stories we are mining.”
Iger also touched on Disney’s other massive content franchise, “Star Wars,” saying that after some disappointing films like “Solo,” they are being “very careful” to “make sure that when we make one, that it’s the right one.”
With so many choices for consumers making it hard for streaming platforms and producers to stand out, Iger says he wants Disney to remember what makes it different, the quality it puts into its media.
“I think HBO proved that well, you know, in their halcyon days when high-quality programming made a big difference, and not volume,” Iger said. “And because the streaming platforms require so much volume, one has to question whether that’s the right direction to go, or if you can be more curated, more — I used the word ‘judicious’ a few times — but I guess, more picky about what you’re making, and to concentrate on quality and not volume.”
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