Are So Many Star Wars Or Marvel Sequels Needed? Disney's CEO Raises The Question

gamespot.com:

Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, outlined his vision for the company at the 2023 Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference in San Francisco. According to Variety, the executive expressed his commitment to addressing the company's need to rationalize its costs and focus on quality over quantity.

«I'm generally bullish on streaming as a great consumer proposition, as a really robust platform to deliver high-quality content,» Iger said, later adding, «Eventually, I think everything will migrate to streaming,» including (as he's said before) ESPN as a direct-to-consumer offering.

Acknowledging that in the company's «zeal to grow global subs,» Iger explains, Disney was «off in terms of our pricing strategy.» So, what's ahead will be a «more judicious» Disney. Although specific franchises weren't discussed in great detail, Iger said that while core franchise content--Marvel, Star Wars, Frozen, etc.--would remain exclusive to Disney's owned platforms, they will start becoming more selective.

Iger said Disney wants to become cautious on «how many times we go back to the well on certain characters» with Marvel, and «sequels typically work well for us, but do you need a third or a fourth?» Iger confirmed multiple Star Wars films are still under development, though earlier this week word got out that reportedly Kevin Feige's and Patty Jenkins' entries to the franchise are being shelved. (Taika Waititi's is still on track.)

Iger emphasized that he wants to leave Disney with an optimistic and positive trajectory in two years. The media conglomerate is focused on streaming profitability, signaling a pullback from Chapek’s heavy investment in content and his push to amass subscribers. As of the end of 2022, Disney+ had 161.8