Today, Disney CEO Bob Iger participated in a Q&A at Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. Iger discussed a variety of topics and here were some of the takeaways.
Bob Iger is high on ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Iger said he expects Deadpool & Wolverine “will be one of the more successful Marvel movies we’ve had in a long time.” Iger later hyped the film back up again alongside Moana 2. Deadpool & Wolverine is expected to perform critically and at the box office like a classic MCU film.
Iger says Disney needs to get to Netflix’s level on tech
During his Q&A, Iger said the gold standard for streaming is Netflix. Iger said Disney is currently developing similar technology. Netflix did have a headstart as they pioneered the streaming game back in 2007, but Disney wouldn’t join the streaming wars until 2019 (still Disney was ahead of their competitors).
Iger wants Disney to get to Netflix’s level of tech because he believes Disney’s churn rates and marketing expenses are higher because of a lack of tech. Quite simply Iger said, “We need to be at their level.”
Iger says they have killed a few projects that the studio didn’t believe in, they just haven’t been public about it
Back during the Q1 earnings call, Bob Iger had this to say:
When you fix or when you address these issues with — in movies, you do 3 things. You get aggressive at making sure the films you’re making can be even better. Sometimes you kill projects you don’t believe in. And of course, you put new things in the pipeline that you do believe in, that you have much more confidence in. And we’re doing all of that.
Today during the Q&A, Iger reiterated the sentiment.
“We’re doing a lot. When we talk about improving our film slate, there are really three approaches. One is you have to kill things you no longer believe. And that’s not easy in this business. Because either you’ve gotten started, you have some … costs. It’s a relationship with either your employees or with a creative community. And it’s not an easy thing. But you got to make those tough calls. , We’ve actually made those tough calls. We’ve not been that public about it.”
I’m sure most of these films were in the early stages of development. However, this will be something to track. For instance, Moana 2 wasn’t supposed to be this year’s Disney Animation film. What happened to the film that was originally slotted there? Plus there’s been various projects in development at Disney that haven’t seen any movement. Here at Boardwalk Times, we’re going to do some sleuthing.
Iger shoots down audience fatigue and cites ‘Oppenheimer’
Bob Iger also shot down the notion of audience or Marvel fatigue existing. Iger had this to say and he even cited a film made by one of Disney’s top rivals.
“A lot of people think it’s audience fatigue, it’s not audience fatigue. They want great films. And if you build it great, they will come and there are countless examples of that. Some are ours and some are others. Oppenheimer is a perfect example of that. Just a fantastic film.”
This isn’t the first time Iger has shouted out a successful Universal film. Back in May 2023, Iger congratulated Universal on the success of the Super Mario Bros. Movie and that its success gave him optimism.
Iger also said they reduced output at Marvel for films and TV shows and that he feels good about the IP they are making. Iger previously said Marvel Studios would focus on its stronger IP.
“Focus is really important. We reduced the output of Marvel, both number of films they make, and the number of TV shows, and that really becomes critical, but I feel good about the team. I feel good about the IP we’re making. I talked about a lot of the projects. We look years ahead, really. And it’s iterative.”
Iger cryptically hints that an Avatar Land is coming to Disneyland Resort
During a question on the Disney Parks, Iger brought up Avatar. In the past, Iger has referred to an Avatar experience coming to Disneyland. Today, Iger called it a land.
We have one Avatar-based land, Pandora, in Florida. We’re going to put a second one in California [at Disneyland]. That doesn’t mean we can’t put one somewhere in Asia and somewhere in Europe, for instance.
Pandora coming to Disneyland is getting the majority of the headlines. Although I think it’s quite telling that he mentions Europe and Asia. I could see Disneyland Paris receiving an Avatar-based land for sure and I wouldn’t rule out Shanghai or Hong Kong perhaps getting one as well. Maybe Tokyo will join in on the action?
However, I think Iger’s comment is pretty blue sky. I think Disney has various options to consider and I wouldn’t be shocked if the major decisions ahead of D23 in August haven’t been made yet. There are a lot of moving parts in the Disney Experiences division and there are a lot of holes to fill so to speak.
Disneyland has room to expand by 50%
Iger also revealed that Disney has more room to expand at their parks than people realize. Iger used Disneyland as an example.
“We have 1000s of acres of lands to develop, we could actually build seven new full lands if we wanted to around the world, including the ability to increase the size of Disneyland in California, which everybody thinks is kind of landlocked by 50%.”
Iger says they have land and they have IP to mine.
“You can look at every single location that we’ve got and there’s land, opportunity, but most importantly, we have so much IP to mine that there’s opportunity there to create experiences that we know people will love to have in our parks. So you look at our IP, you look at the land that we have, you look at the math, the demand that exists in the marketplace, and you look at the return on invested capital. It’s a no-brainer to invest that way.”
Feels like Disney has some things up their sleeves. Let’s hope they bring the announcements this August.
Overall it was a solid Q&A for Iger at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference. He focused on non-controversial subjects and gave a few hints at future possibilities. Let’s hope Iger and other members of his executive teams do more of these conferences soon.
Be sure to continue to follow Boardwalk Times for more coverage of The Walt Disney Company.
Support Boardwalk Times on Ko-Fi.
Support Boardwalk Times by shopping on Boardwalk Store:
If you like this article. Subscribe to my free newsletter Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore, a monthly dose of Disney, its businesses, and the wider themed entertainment industry.
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
