Bob Iger Returns/Disney CEO Thread (2022)

[TheUniC6]

His initial crowning achievement has was Disney+ and now that’s single-handedly killed their box office revenue.

And is losing money to the point where it is a factor as to why there has not been as much investment in the parks recently.

 

[Nick]

To be fair, almost all movies are struggling/underperforming.

 

[Mad Dog]

Historically, few movies make money during their theatrical runs. It's always been a lousy business. They attract investment money because the 'everyone wants to be in pictures' glamour propaganda. Since 1980, the money (profit) was in the various aspects of home entertainment. But, Streaming has killed that golden goose. The Studio's miscalculated. They thought that would be a cheap way to put out product. No packaging, no salespeople, no special promos for distributors and retailers, no sharing of content with cable. Just their very own streaming that would result in a zillion hits from a zillion subscribers like the 2000 bust internet companies thought would happen, but disappeared when that didn't materialize. And too many competitors has resulted in too much expensive productions to try to grab market share. They broke the profit system and can't fix it. I don't feel sorry for them. They were warned by those that really knew the industry but succumbed to the lure of high tech and being cheap, which has turned out to be way more expensive.

 

[JungleSkip]

To be fair, almost all movies are struggling/underperforming.

Disney's biggest issue in this department is budgets. Under no realistic situation should an Indiana Jones movie cost 300million dollars. Why is an Ant-Man movie pushing 200 million+? Why are their animated movies all 200 million+ when their competitors are all coming in under that? On top of that they're spending obscene amounts of money on D+ content, with none of that money ending up on the screen outside of...Andor and Mand S1/2. Just flushing money down the toilet.

It honestly feels like WDI's "spend all the money in the world on every project" mindset has spread to the studio side.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

His initial crowning achievement has was Disney+ and now that’s single-handedly killed their box office revenue.

To be fair, Elemental does seem to have some legs, ala Puss in Boots, and might break even considering how little they marketed it.

 

[Nick]

Disney's biggest issue in this department is budgets. Under no realistic situation should an Indiana Jones movie cost 300million dollars. Why is an Ant-Man movie pushing 200 million+? Why are their animated movies all 200 million+ when their competitors are all coming in under that? On top of that they're spending obscene amounts of money on D+ content, with none of that money ending up on the screen outside of...Andor and Mand S1/2. Just flushing money down the toilet.

It honestly feels like WDI's "spend all the money in the world on every project" mindset has spread to the studio side.

Covid stop-start restrictions (and Ford’s injury causing a stoppage) pushed budgets up across the board. MI Dead Reckoning cost $300M as well.

The problem is that budgets were too high to begin with and Disney has a big issue with, aside from 20th century/Searchlight films, refusing to make films that cost less than $200M.

Hell, even 20th Century is throwing around crazy budgets - not even counting TWOW, look at Amsterdam and The Last Duel for example. The one thing they have figured out though is that horror movies are cheap and profitable.

 

[belloq87]

His initial crowning achievement has was Disney+ and now that’s single-handedly killed their box office revenue.

An unintended consequence is a little different than "Let me proactively and explicitly end the company," though.

 

[rageofthegods]

I think the past year kinda shows that Disney screwed themselves by committing whole hog to the "all tentpole IP all the time" strategy. That strategy works great when you're on a hot streak with Disney Live Action, Marvel and Star Wars but it exposes you to tremendous risk if your core IP starts to falter, since you have nothing to fall back on. Eggs and baskets and all that. With the benefit of hindsight, their 2019 slate starts to look less like Iger's imperial crown jewel and more like a monumental act of hubris, basically firing every gun they had without making sure their new IP (Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, etc) was gonna work. And now they're reaping the results.

By contrast, while Universal's big IPs have begun faltering and while they've basically had the same number of flops as Disney has since the Pandemic, their situation isn't nearly as dire because they've been continuously creating new IP and relationships (Mario, Nolan, Peele, Daniels, smaller stuff like M3gan and Violent Night, etc) which they can lean on after Fast and Jurassic pack it in.

 

[TheGentTrent]

Disney's biggest issue in this department is budgets. Under no realistic situation should an Indiana Jones movie cost 300million dollars. Why is an Ant-Man movie pushing 200 million+? Why are their animated movies all 200 million+ when their competitors are all coming in under that? On top of that they're spending obscene amounts of money on D+ content, with none of that money ending up on the screen outside of...Andor and Mand S1/2. Just flushing money down the toilet.

It honestly feels like WDI's "spend all the money in the world on every project" mindset has spread to the studio side.

The budget thing is a two-edged sword since we don't know how those funds are being distributed. Obviously, one can point to Across the Spider-Verse making twice as much as Elemental at half the price, but now we know that the animators got way overworked on that one, which nobody should be in favor of.

 

[Jamesh22]

This is the same company that spends $30m on a carousel.

Budgetting on every level at Disney has become insane, and now that is finally biting them in the ass.

The budget thing is a two-edged sword since we don't know how those funds are being distributed. Obviously, one can point to Across the Spider-Verse making twice as much as Elemental at half the price, but now we know that the animators got way overworked on that one, which nobody should be in favor of.

True but I think we are talking extremes at both ends of the Spectrum. It should be achievable for an animated movie to be under $125m and ensure the animators are paid what they deserve.

 

[Mad Dog]

historically, few movies make money during their theatrical runs. It's always been a lousy business. They attract investment money because the everyone wants to be in pictures propaganda. Since 1980, the money (profit) was in the various aspects of home entertainment. Streaming has killed that golden goose. The Studio's miscalculated. They thought that would be a cheap way to put out product. No packaging, no salespeople, no special promos for distributors and retailers.

 

[Jerroddragon]

historically, few movies make money during their theatrical runs. It's always been a lousy business. They attract investment money because the everyone wants to be in pictures propaganda. Since 1980, the money (profit) was in the various aspects of home entertainment. Streaming has killed that golden goose. The Studio's miscalculated. They thought that would be a cheap way to put out product. No packaging, no salespeople, no special promos for distributors and retailers.

Sure but I think Disney is also having the issue of putting wayyyy too much in way too many films

Also last year Chip and Dale and Enchanced 2 for me were better then most films they were pushing like Lightyear and Strange Worlds....so who ever is running the film division needs to ask how a parody Chip and Dale movie got more love then a Pixar and Disney animated film.

I think Disney needs to slow down on films and maybe even TV, Mando season 3 is not what anyone wanted and coming out so soon after Andor didn't help. Talking to people who aren't like me and see's as many movies and shows as they can part of it is there is too much of Star Wars and Marvel.

I also hope we are done with Generations story films, give us Villains again. God, it feels like ages since we had a cool villain after Princess and the Frog it seemed like slowly it became twist villains which I think worked for Wreck it Ralph but then every other films kinda did this, now its all about how our parents/generations before us.
I think Puss in Boots shows you can make a modern film that doesn't feel outdated and have Villains you love to hate.

 

[tielo]

I hope Iger will hire the people who are running the Disney Japan resort, they are doing a bang on job.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Too much content is bad. With Marvel as an example, if you don't watch the latest episode/film, you'll feel like you're missing out when you finally do watch a movie or show and they reference that particular film you didn't see just yet.

Somehow they've also misjudged how (somewhat) smart/conservative people are with their money. Did they really think people would buy all the different streaming sites and continue to pay for cable? The next 2 years will undoubtedly see consolidation between streaming sites, leaving 3-4 major players.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Too much content is bad. With Marvel as an example, if you don't watch the latest episode/film, you'll feel like you're missing out when you finally do watch a movie or show and they reference that particular film you didn't see just yet.

Somehow they've also misjudged how (somewhat) smart/conservative people are with their money. Did they really think people would buy all the different streaming sites and continue to pay for cable? The next 2 years will undoubtedly see consolidation between streaming sites, leaving 3-4 major players.

I honestly think if Disney was putting out classic after classic then it wouldn't matter as much

However the brand now has some films like Thor 4, Antman 3, Strange Worlds etc and many don't seem interested in this many 5-7/10 films. Like Phase 3 of Marvel had 3 films a year and it was still great butttttttt after that they have slowly seemed to have no idea where to go and now we are spinning out wheels with 6+ MCU projects a year.

Star Wars is also in a weird place where it's both trying to have the sequels in some way come back but also kinda....ignore them with the Mando universe and now SW is making mistakes of the MCU by having Mando season 3 spin its wheels because they need other shows to come in and fill in the timeline so we can get a big team up.....I'm not against this idea but I feel like Obi Wan/Fett and now season 3 of Mando have hurt that brand.

Disney just needs a CEO that finds passionate people again, Pixar needs more Nemo/the incredibles which are kinda basic films but also have smart writers who make simple stories interesting. It feels like either they are hiring the "wrong" creative people who want to make cinema therapy OR the film feels like a board approved everything.

 

[JungleSkip]

Pixar's quality isn't the issue here. The issue is they trained people to expect Pixar movies to be D+ releases. The past few Pixar movies have been good to great, minus Lightyear, which was just a boneheaded move to begin with.

 

[Jerroddragon]

Pixar's quality isn't the issue here. The issue is they trained people to expect Pixar movies to be D+ releases. The past few Pixar movies have been good to great, minus Lightyear, which was just a boneheaded move to begin with.

Onward, Toy Story 4, Luca, Lightyear, Turning Red are not bad but they are not Pixar.

Coco I think is the last film that is up to Nemo, Toy Story 1-3, and so on.

Encanto was released on Disney Plus and didn't affect what people thought of the film, it's pretty loved.

Pixar just had a way of making films that everyone loved and even Cars which is at the quality of current Pixar had the merch to make up for it and along with a great setting, I mean what new Pixar film has a location that come become a land like Carsland....Co Co once again is the closet thing we have to that.
I'm also not saying there aren't fans of these films, Luca reminds me of a ghibli film with low stakes but its a fun film, Turning Red has a market but I also don't think it's made for everyone (which includes me) so while some people like it it was not made like Up which is just a film that anyone can enjoy.

Just my two cents but Disney animated needs to look at the 90s and 2010's on how they did films and try to get on another resistance. Disney Live action needs another Pirates type movie that is just s pure adventure and Pixar needs to find simple ideas and write charming characters we love within minutes, look at the incredibles its a really simple film but throw in some real world influences like how hero's were sued into hiding, a villain who wants to make everyone super and making the family feel real and you have a hit on your hands

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Onward, Toy Story 4, Luca, Lightyear, Turning Red are not bad but they are not Pixar.

No True PixarMan

 

[Jerroddragon]

No True PixarMan

I mean the company used to mean something, like every film was either winning wards or making money.....now they feel like the film comes out.....and some talk about it but really they seem to be in trouble and I think them going back to make more sequels basically tells you a lot.

 

[JungleSkip]

Onward, Toy Story 4, Luca, Lightyear, Turning Red are not bad but they are not Pixar.

Coco I think is the last film that is up to Nemo, Toy Story 1-3, and so on.

Encanto was released on Disney Plus and didn't affect what people thought of the film, it's pretty loved.

Pixar just had a way of making films that everyone loved and even Cars which is at the quality of current Pixar had the merch to make up for it and along with a great setting, I mean what new Pixar film has a location that come become a land like Carsland....Co Co once again is the closet thing we have to that.
I'm also not saying there aren't fans of these films, Luca reminds me of a ghibli film with low stakes but its a fun film, Turning Red has a market but I also don't think it's made for everyone (which includes me) so while some people like it it was not made like Up which is just a film that anyone can enjoy.

Just my two cents but Disney animated needs to look at the 90s and 2010's on how they did films and try to get on another resistance. Disney Live action needs another Pirates type movie that is just s pure adventure and Pixar needs to find simple ideas and write charming characters we love within minutes, look at the incredibles its a really simple film but throw in some real world influences like how hero's were sued into hiding, a villain who wants to make everyone super and making the family feel real and you have a hit on your hands

I'm just gonna say I think this is a "You" thing, not a problem with Pixar.