Marvel’s latest release, Thunderbolts* is a great film and a success for Marvel and Disney and it’s being positioned as a symbol of a broader shift in strategy.
According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, the film represents a turning point for Marvel, as the company pivots back toward quality-driven theatrical releases after years of streaming content overload.
On a recent earnings call with Wall Street analysts, Iger reflected on the studio’s recent missteps, openly admitting:
“In our zeal to flood our streaming platform with more content, we turned to all of our creative engines, including Marvel, and had them produce a lot more.”
That flood of content, mostly pushed under former CEO Bob Chapek’s leadership, was meant to drive Disney+ subscriptions. But for many fans and critics, it came at the cost of creative consistency. Iger explained:
“We’ve also learned over time that quantity does not necessarily beget quality. Frankly, we’ve all admitted to ourselves that we lost a little focus by making too much.
“By consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe it will result in better quality. I think the first and best example of that is Thunderbolts*.”
Thunderbolts* has a strong opening weekend and it was met with even stronger reviews, better audience buzz, and a sense that Marvel might be getting its footing back.
Not long after the movie was released, Marvel and Disney rebrnaded Thunderbolts* as “The New Avengers,” to keep the hype train rolling, and it’s clearly an attempt to get more people in theaters to watch the movie that might have been turned off by the Thunderbolts* title.
When asked about the broader upcoming slate, Iger said it’s “the best I have seen” since 2019, which is a year that included Avengers: Endgame and several billion-dollar hits under Marvel and Disney’s umbrella. That’s a high bar, but Iger’s confidence shows he has a renewed focus on creating theatrical tentpoles instead of chasing streaming volume.
Marvel’s course correction is also part of a larger Disney recalibration. Other divisions like Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Disney’s in-house animation team are also pulling back on series-heavy output to focus more on impactful theatrical releases. This shift in strategy has been in motion since Iger’s return as CEO in November 2022, following Chapek’s ouster.
Back in March 2023, Iger gave an early hint at this direction, saying, “Do you need a third and a fourth, for instance, or is it time to turn to other characters?” Thunderbolts* seems to be Iger’s answer.
Via: Deadline
