After the failures of The Marvels and Wish, a new turn for Disney?

After The Marvels and Wish failed at the box office, Disney CEO Bob Iger stepped in to remedy the situation. While in New York at the DealBook Summit organized by the New York Times, the big studio boss made some loud announcements.

“The creators have lost sight of what their number one goal should be. We have to have fun first. This is not sending political messages.”For the first time, he attacked the head of Mickey’s firm. “In favoring multiculturalism and wanting to multiply the quality of series and films from its core franchises to the detriment, Disney admits it’s on the wrong track.”explain Le Figaro.

“We’ve had fun with values ​​and managed to make a positive impact on the world in different ways. Black Panther is a great example of that.”Bob Iger continued. “I love having fun with positive messages and making a good impact on the world. It’s fantastic! But that shouldn’t be the goal. When I came back, I really tried to get back to our roots.”he argued.

notable failures

These comments come after the dismal failure of the blockbuster The Marvels, which had the worst start of the saga at the box office. Internationally, the blockbuster grossed just $180 million against an estimated $220 million budget.

Same observation on Wish, the Disney of Christmas. The animated film cost a modest amount of 200 million and so far has earned only 51 million worldwide. These two consecutive failures forced Bob Iger to return to the firm’s roots: pure entertainment.

“In recent years, Disney has taken a number of positions in favor of diversity. Thus, the entertainment giant found itself at the center of a political battle with Ron DeSanti. The conservative governor of Florida accused the Burbank firm of becoming an agent of “awakened capitalism”. part”.Analyzes Caroline Salle in Le Figaro.

Disney and “Wokism”

“Criticized for ‘vocalism,’ the company was attacked on social media for including a homosexual kiss in Lightyear and a gay character in Strange World) starring black actress Holly Bailey.Evaluates Arnaud Leparmentier in columns the world.

In addition, on the occasion of the group’s centenary, an IFOP survey presented the influence of the studio’s animated films and shows that a large majority of French (62%) are resistant to changing the classics to live-action films. “Aspiring to reconcile tradition and modernity, unable to truly innovate, Disney is becoming increasingly annoying and, above all, boring.”– adds the journalist.

The next live-action Snow White movie is also in the spotlight for all these reasons. “Their ideas are so radical now. They’re changing the stories, changing the characters’ thought process, inventing new ‘woke’ things, and I’m just not into it.” It hit David Hand, the son of the director of the 1937 Disney classic.

“Honestly, I think it’s a little insulting what they were able to do with these classic movies. There’s no respect for what Disney and my dad did. I think he and Walt would be kicking each other in their graves.”

According to a May 2023 ranking by Axios-Harris, Disney is one of the most hated brands among Americans. “Too Woke for Some, Radical Enough for Others”, comments Caroline Sallé. Thus, the financial loss of a large Gulf firm shakes the group’s various shareholders.

From the time we gave Disney a chance to prove it could right the ship last February to our re-engagement a few weeks ago, shareholders lost about $70 billion in value.activist investor Nelson Peltz said in a press release. “Disney is now only worth $170 billion in stock, compared to two years ago.”recalls Le Monde.

“Investor confidence is low, major strategic questions are looming, and even Disney’s CEO admits the company’s challenges are greater than previously thought.”, he concluded. Either way, the big man in the big D will have his work cut out for him to re-enchant the brand and once again inject some of the Disney magic of yesteryear.