Bob IgerCEO of Disney, acknowledged the disaster facing many films released by studios owned by the multinational entertainment company, including Marvel films.
He explained this during a conference call with investors after the announcement of financial results for the third quarter of 2023. Movies like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Doom, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania or Enchanted Mansion They were a real failure. While others such as Mermaid or elementary from Pixar, struggled to perform at the box office, although the latter pulled out weeks after its release due to rumors.
“If we look at the productions we’ve released, it’s clear that the pandemic has created a lot of creative challenges for everyone, including us,” explained Bob Iger. “Additionally, right when the pandemic hit, we were looking to significantly increase the number of TV series and films produced per year. And I always believed that quantity plays against quality. And I think that’s exactly what happened. We lost focus.”
However, Iger reminded investors that four of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2022 are from Disney-owned studios. He mentioned, first of all, Avatar: Water Sensewhich grossed $2.32 billion worldwide and is the third most successful feature film in history, second only to Avengers: Endgame and down payment Avatar.
Bob Iger and his sneaky attack on Bob Chapek during his short tenure at Disney
Bob Iger’s comment about quantity over quality in the products produced by Disney and its studios is a sly jab at Bob Chapek and his short tenure as Disney CEO.
Chapek moved from head of Disney’s parks and hotels division to head of the company in February 2020. But on November 20, 2022, he was fired, and Bob Iger returned to lead the company to try to solve the dozens of problems they faced after the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There have been rumors for years that although Bob Iger chose Bob Chapek as his successor, he was reluctant to relinquish control of Disney. Report from CNBC He insists that Iger never wanted to leave the Burbank, Calif., facility where the company is headquartered and that, as a new board member, he must report to him. He also sought to maintain control over creative properties, i.e. film and television production.
According to the report, people close to Chapek say the former director describes his three years at the helm of Disney as “absolute hell.” He also claims that Iger mistook Capek’s operational abilities for leadership qualities, but this apparently was not the case.
Others believe that Iger chose Bob Chapek as his successor because he was a man with little public life and was not a manager with much charisma like Iger. That is, it would not overshadow it.
Be that as it may, Bob Iger’s comments during the conference calls following Disney’s earnings announcement are a subtle but direct reference to Capek and the current state of the company’s studio production.
Marvel Studios is undergoing a massive internal restructuring to ensure its output is quality again. Failures like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania or the absolute disaster of Secret Invasion were bitter proof that things had to change.
Source: Hiper Textual
