Bob Iger steps down as Disney CEO... and Comes Back Again

[MagnarTheGreat]

A Summary and Analysis of Aesop’s ‘The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs’ Fable

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs’ is a well-known phrase, derived from one of the classical writer Aesop’s best-known fables. A fable, of course, i…

interestingliterature.com

 

[DarthSkywalker]

That doesn't even make sense. The flooding of Marvel started after he stepped down.

 

[Sithborg]

That doesn't even make sense. The flooding of Marvel started after he stepped down.

Wasn't the talk of 4 movies a year happening before the pandemic?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Wasn't the talk of 4 movies a year happening before the pandemic?

2020 had two scheduled movies. He basically stepped down in Feb, but hung on for a bit. Still, that wouldn't have been a major problem for Disney, if not for the flood of Disney+ shows, which came in the wake of his reign.

Iger 100% runs things dry. But how he's done it has been financially viable.

 

[Drizzle]

That doesn't even make sense. The flooding of Marvel started after he stepped down.

All the Phase 4 plans were laid out before Iger left. They announced everything from Black Widow through Wakanda Forever and all the movies and shows in between during SDCC and D23 2019.

Regardless, Iger is to blame for a lot of things but I wouldn't place the blame on him for Marvel spreading themselves too thin.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

All the Phase 4 plans were laid out before Iger left. They announced everything from Black Widow through Wakanda Forever and all the movies and shows in between during SDCC and D23 2019.

Regardless, Iger is to blame for a lot of things but I wouldn't place the blame on him for Marvel spreading themselves too thin.

This is in fact, not the case.

Every Marvel Phase 4 movie and TV show announced at Comic-Con 2019

Female Thor!

www.polygon.com

There was no Echo, no Agatha, no Armor Wars. There is also the mystery on whether the shows were series or mini-series, based around decisions made later.

Phase 4 itself was suppose to go through the Avengers flicks, remember? Then it suddenly wasn't the case.

 

[Drizzle]

This is in fact, not the case.

Every Marvel Phase 4 movie and TV show announced at Comic-Con 2019

Female Thor!

www.polygon.com

There was no Echo, no Agatha, no Armor Wars. There is also the mystery on whether the shows were series or mini-series, based around decisions made later.

Phase 4 itself was suppose to go through the Avengers flicks, remember? Then it suddenly wasn't the case.

I don't remember the phases being fully defined until well after that but my point was that they still had a ton of content they planned to hammer out in a relatively short period of time across film and TV while Iger was still in charge at Disney.

However, what I didn't take into account previously was the Covid delays. Without that then the releases would have been more spread out (i.e. there wouldn't have been four movies and five shows released in 2021 alone) and the market wouldn't feel as flooded as it does.

 

[Venom 1988]

2020 had two scheduled movies.

And that's only because of the James Gunn debacle. Had they not fired him, Guardians 3 would have released in 2020. They were gearing up for pre-production work in 2018 with an eye to film in early 2019 before all the crew was dismissed.

This is in fact, not the case.

Every Marvel Phase 4 movie and TV show announced at Comic-Con 2019

Female Thor!

www.polygon.com

There was no Echo, no Agatha, no Armor Wars. There is also the mystery on whether the shows were series or mini-series, based around decisions made later.

Phase 4 itself was suppose to go through the Avengers flicks, remember? Then it suddenly wasn't the case.

However, what I didn't take into account previously was the Covid delays. Without that then the releases would have been more spread out (i.e. there wouldn't have been four movies and five shows released in 2021 alone) and the market wouldn't feel as flooded as it does.

This isn't quite true. With the exception of I am Groot and Werewolf by Night (which were probably conceived after Chapek took over) everything that was in Phase 4 was announced in 2019. Even NWH, which was announced a few months after SDCC when Disney and Sony renewed their deal. The original 2021 slate was Shang-Chi in February, MoM in May, NWH in July and Love & Thunder in November.

And on the show side of things, while Falcon & Winter Soldier was slated for 2020, the other originally announced shows were still slated for 2021. So that would have been 4 movies and 4 shows in 2021. And while they never intially put dates for She-Hulk, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel, they were more than likely going to come out in 2022. There might have been a little bit more breathing room for these projects but not by much.

While Chapek definitely doubled down on the content train, which brought more projects like Echo and Agatha, Iger was the one who started getting the ball rolling.

 

[MadVillainy]

And that's only because of the James Gunn debacle. Had they not fired him, Guardians 3 would have released in 2020. They were gearing up for pre-production work in 2018 with an eye to film in early 2019 before all the crew was dismissed.




This isn't quite true. With the exception of I am Groot and Werewolf by Night (which were probably conceived after Chapek took over) everything that was in Phase 4 was announced in 2019. Even NWH, which was announced a few months after SDCC when Disney and Sony renewed their deal. The original 2021 slate was Shang-Chi in February, MoM in May, NWH in July and Love & Thunder in November.

And on the show side of things, while Falcon & Winter Soldier was slated for 2020, the other originally announced shows were still slated for 2021. So that would have been 4 movies and 4 shows in 2021. And while they never intially put dates for She-Hulk, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel, they were more than likely going to come out in 2022. There might have been a little bit more breathing room for these projects but not by much.

While Chapek definitely doubled down on the content train, which brought more projects like Echo and Agatha, Iger was the one who started getting the ball rolling.

Yeah for a while I've seen people really try to put everything on Chapek. But with conglomerate as big as Disney things don't just happen at the drop of a hat.
I'm sure Chapek didn't do well, but I'm sure a lot of the stuff Disney has been criticized for Iger knew what was going to happen. He might've even initiated it

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Bob Iger was brought back to fix Disney. No one said it would be easy

The Burbank company has a hangover from its big streaming push. The stock has struggled, investors are restive and its key studios have been stretched.

www.latimes.com

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Disney CEO Bob Iger Says He Will 'Definitely Step Down' After Contract Ends in 2026 - TheWrap

The executive told the New York Times' DealBook Summit on Wednesday that a "robust" process is underway to identify a successor

www.thewrap.com

The executive returned to the entertainment giant in November 2022 following the ouster of his successor-turned-predecessor Bob Chapek.

“I was disappointed in what I was seeing in the transition period and while I was out,” he said, but noted that he “worked hard at distancing myself from it.” He added that a “robust” process is currently underway to identify a new successor.

Bob Iger says 'The Marvels' had little 'supervision' and Disney has made too many sequels

Disney CEO Bob Iger says his number one priority at the company is revitalizing its film studio.

www.cnbc.com

One year after returning to the helm of Disney, Bob Iger said Wednesday his top priority at the company is revitalizing its film studio after a string of box office disappointments including "The Marvels" and "Wish."

Iger admitted to a number of causes for Disney's recent fall from theatrical grace, noting that during Covid lockdowns the company conditioned audiences to expect its films on streaming.

"The experience of accessing [the films] and watching them in the home is better than it ever was," he told Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times' DealBook Summit. "And [it's] a bargain when you think about it. Streaming Disney+ you can get for $7 a month. That's a lot cheaper than taking your whole family to a film. So, I think the bar is now raised in terms of quality about what gets people out of their homes, into movie theaters."

He said pandemic-related restrictions made it difficult for executives to oversee its increased number of film and television productions.

″'The Marvels' was shot during Covid," he explained. "There wasn't as much supervision on the set, so to speak, where we have executives [that are] really looking over what's being done day after day after day."

Iger also reiterated comments he's made before about the need for Disney to be more selective about which Marvel superheroes get sequel films and when to bring in fresh stories.

"I don't want to apologize for making sequels," Iger said, talking broadly about all of Disney's properties. "Some of them have done extraordinarily well and they've been good films, too. I think you there has to be a reason to make them, you have to have a good story. And often the story doesn't hold up to is not as strong as the original story. That can be a problem."

Iger said that there has to be a reason "beyond commerce" to make a follow-up film to a hit, noting that over the last past few years Disney has "made too many."

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

The Walt Disney Company statement to the SEC

We face risks relating to misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment, travel and consumer products, which impact demand for our entertainment offerings and products and the profitability of any of our businesses.

Our businesses create entertainment, travel and consumer products whose success depends substantially on consumer tastes and preferences that change in often unpredictable ways. The success of our businesses depends on our ability to consistently create compelling content, which may be distributed, among other ways, through broadcast, cable, theaters, internet or mobile technology, and used in theme park attractions, hotels and other resort facilities and travel experiences and consumer products. Such distribution must meet the changing preferences of the broad consumer market and respond to competition from an expanding array of choices facilitated by technological developments in the delivery of content.

The success of our theme parks, resorts, cruise ships and experiences, as well as our theatrical releases, depends on demand for public or out-of-home entertainment experiences. Demand for certain out-of-home entertainment experiences, such as theater-going to watch movies, has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. In addition, many of our businesses increasingly depend on acceptance of our offerings and products by consumers outside the U.S. The success of our businesses therefore depends on our ability to successfully predict and adapt to changing consumer tastes and preferences outside as well as inside the U.S.

Moreover, we must often invest substantial amounts in content production and acquisition, acquisition of sports rights, launch of new sports-related studio programming, theme park attractions, cruise ships or hotels and other facilities or customer facing platforms before we know the extent to which these products will earn consumer acceptance, and these products may be introduced into a significantly different market or economic or social climate from the one we anticipated at the time of the investment decisions. Generally, our revenues and profitability are adversely impacted when our entertainment offerings and products, as well as our methods to make our offerings and products available to consumers, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance.

Further, consumers’ perceptions of our position on matters of public interest, including our efforts to achieve certain of our environmental and social goals, often differ widely and present risks to our reputation and brands. Consumer tastes and preferences impact, among other items, revenue from advertising sales (which are based in part on ratings for the programs in which advertisements air), affiliate fees, subscription fees, theatrical film receipts, the license of rights to other distributors, theme park admissions, hotel room charges and merchandise, food and beverage sales, sales of licensed consumer products or sales of our other consumer products and services.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

These Classic Characters Are Losing Copyright Protection. They May Never Be the Same.

What could happen to the original version of Mickey Mouse and others after they entered the public domain on Jan. 1? Hint: think Winnie the Pooh wielding a sledgehammer.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Batgirl0202]

Can't wait for the first Mickey and Minnie Mouse slasher movie

 

[Filmfreak]

Can't wait for the first Mickey and Minnie Mouse slasher movie

Funnily enough this came out yesterday.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

‘Mickey’s Mouse Trap’ Trailer – Mickey Mouse Horror Movie Slashes Through the Magic Kingdom This Year

Winnie the Pooh got his own (unofficial) horror movie last year with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, and this year it’s Mickey Mouse’s turn to (unofficially) do a little slicing and dicing. The Mickey Mouse character entered the public domain just yesterday and already the first teaser trailer...

bloody-disgusting.com

I think it's pretty lame this is what people do when some popular entity enters into the public domain. 'Look at how edgy we are with this this R-rated Superman movie where the sex kills his partner.'

There's bound to be legal drama when Batman and Superman enter the public domain in coming years — but experts caution there's 'no precedent' for the thorny issue

Experts say there's little precedent for characters of Superman's stature entering the public domain and laid out obstacles people could face.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[Drizzle]

‘Mickey’s Mouse Trap’ Trailer – Mickey Mouse Horror Movie Slashes Through the Magic Kingdom This Year

Winnie the Pooh got his own (unofficial) horror movie last year with Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, and this year it’s Mickey Mouse’s turn to (unofficially) do a little slicing and dicing. The Mickey Mouse character entered the public domain just yesterday and already the first teaser trailer...

bloody-disgusting.com

I think it's pretty lame this is what people do when some popular entity enters into the public domain. 'Look at how edgy we are with this this R-rated Superman movie where the sex kills his partner.'

There's bound to be legal drama when Batman and Superman enter the public domain in coming years — but experts caution there's 'no precedent' for the thorny issue

Experts say there's little precedent for characters of Superman's stature entering the public domain and laid out obstacles people could face.

www.businessinsider.com

I find them mostly harmless since people don't seem to care about them at all, if Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey is anything to go by.

 

[BeserkerHilf]

I'd love to see them sued into indentured servitude, because there's no way the idea for Mickey's Mouse Trap just organically germinated at the stroke of midnight on 1/1/2024 and the coordination of producing and releasing just what's in the trailer occurred between then and 5PM EST, when the trailer was uploaded.

 

[Drizzle]

I'd love to see them sued into indentured servitude, because there's no way the idea for Mickey's Mouse Trap just organically germinated at the stroke of midnight on 1/1/2024 and the coordination of producing and releasing just what's in the trailer occurred between then and 5PM EST, when the trailer was uploaded.

I feel like there's some sort of legal loophole where you can start working on it before the date it enters public domain, you just can't profit off of it.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Bob Iger Prepares for Ike’s Pirate Ship to Fire at Disney

As ousted Marvel mogul Ike Perlmutter and activist investor Nelson Peltz enlist former Disney exec Jay Rasulo in their quest to reshape the studio, the CEO faces a somewhat more credible challenge to his reign.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[DA_Champion]

Iger may be the most toxic person in Hollywood.

Pure asset stripper, a mascot for late stage capitalism if there ever was.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Disney+ Drops 1.3 Million Subscribers Amid Price Hike, Streaming Loss Shrinks by $300 Million

Disney+ lost 1.3 million subscribers in the final quarter of 2023 amid a hefty price hike that went into effect last fall

variety.com

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

At Hulu, Disney saw a lift from 43.9 million subs to 45.1 million in its streaming-only subscriptions, and an even 4.6 million subscribers to its Live TV + SVOD option.

Well, there's that at least. I imagine with so many streaming services looking at live options- imagine a time when we go back to live TV only?- Disney will probably take solace in gaining subscribers for their Live TV option, in addition to Hulu.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Disney to take $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, work with Fortnite maker on new content

Disney is investing $1.5 billion for an equity stake in Epic Games.

www.cnbc.com