Disney Canceling A Ton Of Planned Marvel Movies?
In a recent earnings call that has been broken down by The Walt Disney Company, Disney CEO Bob Iger lays out his plans for the future of Disney film studios, Marvel, Streaming, and the company’s Parks business. If everything goes according to plan, Disney will continue to be the entertainment titan that it has established itself as, but cost-cutting measures will need to continue in order to cement their legacy. One such cost-cutting measure, in Iger’s words, will involve improving the quality of upcoming films by reducing the number of films on the slate, while also reducing the overall budget per film.
Though Iger’s full statement didn’t suggest that any upcoming Marvel movies would get the axe, what’s causing concern is his intention to pump the breaks on how many movies will be put out per year.
Given Disney’s recent and rampant cost-cutting measures in the form of layoffs and controversial content purges, Marvel fans are right to be worried. But canceling upcoming movies may not necessarily be the case.
Iger has suggested that by reworking Disney’s film studio economics, there will be room for higher quality films. Though Iger’s full statement didn’t suggest that any upcoming Marvel movies would get the axe, what’s causing concern is his intention to pump the breaks on how many movies will be put out per year.
As of now, Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is continuing to push forward with its release slate, though it remains to be seen whether the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike will result in some premiere dates getting moved around.
Marvel Has 3 Confirmed Phase 6 Films
Looking at Disney and Marvel’s current schedule, three Phase 6 films have been confirmed with release dates: Fantastic Four (2025), Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026), and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). By the looks of it, and to the best of our understanding, none of these three titles have been affected by Disney’s cost-cutting measures, but it may be too soon to tell.
It’s worth noting, however, that there will be a year between each film, which indicates a slowdown. But as we get further into the multiverse saga, taking a little more time to develop some of the more complex storylines might not be a bad move on Disney’s part.
Iger also stressed the importance of focusing on tentpole films and franchises under the Disney intellectual property umbrella, like Avatar, the first four Indiana Jones films, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, which all boast a considerable amount of engagement on Disney+.
One of his many initiatives will be integrating some of these properties into the Parks side of the operation, and he talked briefly about a Frozen-themed attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, as well as an Avatar experience at Disneyland at some point in the future.
Though there was no mention of any upcoming Marvel attraction at a Disney theme park, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that it’s being considered.
On the streaming front, Disney’s direct-to-customer model (which includes Marvel content) in the form of Disney+ is currently raking in subscribers after offering an ad-supported product. 3.3 million users subscribed to the ad-supported tier since it was introduced, and 40 percent of all new Disney+ subscribers are signing up with this option.
As Disney moves toward a unified, one-app experience that includes general programming, as well as popular brands like Marvel, it’s safe to say that a number of these short-term changes will yield positive results over time.
