When Disney CEO Bob Iger stepped onto the stage at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Friday night, the crowd erupted. Some 12,000 Disney fans rose to their feet and cheered, leaving the 73 year-old executive grinning wide as he tried to quiet them back down.
“I was going to say good evening and thank you for that warm welcome, but that was more than a warm welcome,” Iger said to those gathered for Disney’s first showcase at its biannual D23 Expo.
It’s the first time in five years that Iger has attended the exposition event for Disney’s biggest fans, as he briefly retired from his position as chief executive for nearly two years before returning to the helm in November 2022.
His absence coincided with a downturn in Disney’s theatrical business which, like other studios was disrupted by pandemic shutdowns and dual Hollywood labor strikes. Yet, the company’s post-pandemic box office was also beset by executive decisions to increase content production to pad its fledgling streaming service Disney+. Iger himself has admitted on numerous occasions that Disney sacrificed quality for quantity and it was his goal upon returning to right the ship.
On Friday, he opened an explosive — sometimes literally, as Disney loves to use pyrotechnics — three-hour long presentation that detailed a host of theatrical films, television series and stage productions coming over the next few years.
As the company seeks to rebuild its reputation and recapture magic at the box office, it is relying heavily on existing, and beloved, franchises. And, when it does venture into new territory, it is tapping tried-and-true talent in front of and behind the camera.
Revisiting old favorites
Heading into D23, Disney had two major box office successes under its belt from two major franchises.
Its latest Pixar film, “Inside Out 2,” is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, topping $1.5 billion at the global box office. Its first R-rated Marvel Cinematic Universe flick — “Deadpool & Wolverine” — broke opening weekend records for an R-rated film and is set to surpass the $1 billion mark as early as this weekend.
To open Friday’s entertainment showcase, Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson joined a crew of Polynesian dancers and drummers to perform a song from the upcoming “Moana 2.” The hotly anticipated sequel to 2016′s “Moana” arrives in theaters during the Thanksgiving holiday and is expected to become Disney’s third billion-dollar film released in 2024, according to box office analysts.
While the first film generated a little less than $700 million at the global box office, audience fervor for more “Moana” content is expected to drive high ticket sales in November. After all, it was the most streamed film of 2023.
Sequels and prequels are a theme for Disney, and across the board in Hollywood. While Iger has cautioned investors in the past that the company will be more selective about which past stories it continues to explore, its entertainment showcase featured numerous additions to popular franchises.
This was particularly apparent at both of its animation studios. Of the seven theatrical titles Disney touted during Friday’s presentation, five were from existing franchises — “Moana 2,” “Toy Story 5,” “Zootopia 2,” “Frozen III” and “Incredibles 3.”
It’s no surprise Disney is going back to the well with these films. The Toy Story franchise has generated $3.2 billion at the global box office, the two Frozen films surpassed $2.7 billion worldwide, the two Incredibles films tallied $1.8 billion globally and “Zootopia” reached $1 billion worldwide during its run in 2016.
Fans were given glimpses of the two original titles coming from Disney — “Elio” and “Hoppers” — which had two drastically different tones. One follows a young boy to outer space as he is mistaken for the leader of Earth the other centers on a young girl who “hops” into the body of a robotic beaver in order to go undercover in the animal world.
Of course, there’s some star power behind these titles. “Elio” is directed by Adrian Molina, who co-wrote 2017’s “Coco” and will feature Zoe Saldana (“Avatar,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) as part of the voice cast. “Hoppers” has Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”) and Bobby Moynihan (“Saturday Night Live”) voicing characters.
It’s clear that Disney’s strategy across all of its studios is to provide audiences with a selection of familiar favorites alongside a handful of new entrants.
At Lucasfilm, its first Star Wars feature film since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” arrives in 2026 and is titled “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” The flick will follow the much beloved duo from “The Mandalorian.” Footage from Friday’s panel showed Mando and Grogu on an icy planet battling stormtroopers and AT-ATs.
Lucasfilm is also set to release the second season of “Andor,” a series that takes place before “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and follows the reluctant hero Cassian Andor as he traverses a world choked by the Galactic Empire.
Amidst these popular stories also comes “Skeleton Crew,” which as been billed as a “Goonies”-like adventure series. It stars Jude Law alongside a cast of four kids who accidentally jettison themselves off into space and get lost in the stars.
There are two more Star Wars feature films on the calendar — dated December 2026 and December 2027 — but it is unclear who will direct them or what storyline Disney will center upon. Star Wars remains one of the top franchises at the global box office having generated more than $10 billion in ticket sales since 1977’s “A New Hope” hit theaters.
Other sequels coming to the big screen from Disney in the coming years also include the third Avatar film titled “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” a “Freaky Friday” sequel called “Freakier Friday” and a third “Tron” film called “Tron: Ares.” There will also be a live-action remake of “Snow White” hitting theaters in March and a “Lilo and Stitch” live-action film coming later in 2025.
A Marvel-ous new strategy
Over at Marvel Studios, a reformation is taking place. The studios is in the process of balancing stories centered on its existing characters while trying to bring new heroes — and villains — into the fold.
It was always going to be tough for Marvel to follow-up after “Avengers: Endgame,” but few foresaw the steep fall from grace that would befall the beloved studio. In the wake of Thanos’ defeat, Disney released 10 television series (some with multiple seasons) and a dozen theatrical films. The overabundance of content felt like homework to audiences who once embraced all things Marvel and, worse, much of what was being released wasn’t well-liked.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s low point came in the form of 2023′s “The Marvels,” which generated the lowest domestic opening ($46.1 million) and lowest global box office haul (under $200 million) for the franchise ever.
Going forward, the studio appears to be limiting the number of series its producing for Disney+ and keeping its focus on the big screen. Kevin Feige, head of Marvel Studios, wowed audiences at San Diego Comic Con only a few weeks ago with new movie title reveals and the jaw-dropping announcement that Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr. would return to play Doctor Doom, still had some things left to share with the D23 crowd.
In addition to “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Thunderbolts*,” “The Fantastic 4: First Steps,” “Blade,” “Avengers: Doomsday” (previously titled “Avengers: Kang Dynasty) and “Avengers: Secret Wars,” Marvel will have three televisions series coming to Disney+ in the next few years.
“Agatha All Along” comes first in September and centers on the villainous Agatha Harkness from 2021’s “Wandavision” as she seeks to regain her powers alongside a coven of other witches. Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as the titular Agatha and is joined by a cast including Aubrey Plaza and Patti LuPone.
“Ironheart,” starring the character Riri Williams, who was seen in 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is set for release in 2025 alongside a rebooted “Daredevil: Born Again.” Notably, the Daredevil show features the entire main cast that starred in the Netflix “Daredevil” show.
D23 audiences cheered the announcements to Marvel’s slate, a sign that interest has not waned for the superhero genre. This fervor mixed with the studios new strategy just might put the MCU back on course.
Of course, Ryan Reynolds may want some of the credit considering the recent performance of “Deadpool & Wolverine.” In a pre-taped video for Friday’s showcase, Reynolds thanked Disney and Marvel for letting the film poke fun at the studio.
“It’s my way of showing love,” he said. “And of course, saving the studio.”
Since the first MCU film was released in 2008, the franchise has generated more than $30 billion at the box office. The MCU is the highest-grossing film franchise of all time and one of the most consistent ticket sales drivers in cinematic history.
“There is nothing we love more than to entertain you, thrill you, surprise you, and fill your hearts with joy and wonder,” Iger said Friday. “And we know that when we do all of that, we’re doing our jobs right.”
