Last year, trade reports claimed that Disney intended to scale back on Marvel Studios content (both on Disney+ and the big screen) and implement more of a "quality over quality" approach going forward.
Disney CEO Bob Iger pretty much confirmed this during a conference call last March, and has now reiterated that there will be a "reduced volume" of content, with renewed focus on the studio's "stronger franchises."
“I’d say we’re leaning a little bit more into sequels and franchises," Iger said during Disney's latest earnings call. "I think given the environment and given what it takes to get people out of their homes to see a film. Leaning on franchises that are familiar is actually a smart thing. In our zeal to greatly increase volume partially tied to this wanting to chase more global subs for our streaming platform, some of our studios lost a little focus. So the first step that we’ve taken is that we’ve reduced volume, we reduced output, particularly in Marvel."
This would certainly seem like a smart move, but will it be enough to renew audience interest in the MCU, or has the damage been done? The studio's most recent movie, The Marvels, was a sequel to a film that took in over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and ended up becoming the lowest-grossing MCU entry yet.
Elsewhere on the call, Iger listed some of the movies on Disney's 2025 slate, but left out a couple of MCU projects.
"Looking to our 2025 theatrical slate, we're excited to bring audiences Captain America: Brave New World and Fantastic Four for Marvel, Pixar has Zootopia 2, and then there's Avatar 3. And we're already looking forward to 2026 and beyond with Frozen 3, the first Toy Story movie since 2019, and a new Star Wars movie that brings The Mandalorian and Grogu to the big screen for the very first time."
Some have taken this as an indication that both Thunderbolts and Blade have been delayed or removed from the schedule entirely, and while that's certainly a possibility, we wouldn't jump to any conclusions just yet - Iger may simply have forgotten to mention those particular films!
What do you make of Iger's comments? Do you think shifting focus back to the franchises that have proven to be most successful for Marvel Studios is the right move, or would you rather see more chances taken on new characters? Be sure to share your thoughts down below.