Disney Is Pulling Back on Marvel Content. Here’s Why We AREN’T Worried.

Marvel fans, please don’t panic yet!

Cinderella Castle

On May 7th, Disney released its second-quarter earnings report for fiscal year 2024 and held its latest earnings call. We’ve got all sorts of updates on Disney parks, the cruise line, streaming services, and more — and how those businesses are doing financially. Disney also shared that changes are coming to the film studios, and we will be seeing a decrease in some beloved programming. Let’s talk about it!

Back in 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared opportunities for growth in fiscal 2024. One of these opportunities involved the film studios, where Disney hopes to bring back creativity and movies people LOVE — and therefore boost revenue.

Fast forward to today, when Iger and Disney CFO Hugh Johnston shared the latest on Disney’s Entertainment sector.

Entertainment revenue saw a five percent decrease compared to this time last year. In April 2023, entertainment revenue was at $10,309 million, while entertainment revenue currently sits at $9,796 million.

AMC at Disney Springs

Operating income saw a 72 percent increase, though! In April 2023, operating income was at $455 million, while it currently sits at $781 million.

Iger said that the increase in operating income was largely due to Disney+ and subscription services. Disney looks forward to seeing continued growth here, with the film studios looking forward to releasing new movies like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Inside Out 2, and more.

©Disney

Now, here’s were it gets interesting, and even bittersweet for some. Disney shared that Marvel programming will decrease from four series per year to only two per year, and movies will decrease from four films per year to two or three per year. Further, focus will be on Avengers content.

We don’t think this is a bad thing. Let’s talk about it. In 2023, Disney released The Marvels in theaters, and it was a major flop — to put things simply.

©Disney

Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, this flop of a film was expected. The low performance highlights a problem presented by Disney CEO Bob Iger at the final earnings call of 2024: the studios are rolling out too may films, focusing on quantity over quality. In other words, the content being produced isn’t as engaging as it is plentiful. It can also be overwhelming, especially for new fans!

So, by reducing the amount of content that Marvel rolls out, we could see an increase in quality of the films and series, and a deeper resonation with fans. We’re honestly looking forward to the upcoming films even more now. We’re excited to hear further updates!

We always have an eye out for the latest Disney news so that we can share it with you all. Stay tuned to AllEars as we continue to bring you the latest news about The Walt Disney Company!