Disney CEO Bob Iger Also Think 'The Marvels' Sucks
The Marvels set the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) record for the lowest-ever box office debut, at just $47 million.
Yet critics still called the film a success because it was the first MCU film to feature a black woman as the director.
“ was an exceptional Marvel release in numerous ways. The film, directed by Nia DaCosta, was the first MCU release directed by a Black woman. It was also the rare Marvel movie led by three women — Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani," said The AP.
Disney CEO Bob Iger disagrees.
He said the film needed more “supervision.”
″The Marvels was shot during COVID,” Iger said. "There wasn’t as much supervision on the set, so to speak, where we have executives really looking over what’s being done day after day after day.”
Interesting to see an old white Disney exec say that a woman of color needed more "supervision" from other white executives.
Not very Disney-like, is it?
Though perhaps Iger has enough chips in the bank that the mob will grant him a one-time pass. It was Iger, after all, who strong-armed former Disney CEO Bob Chapek into leading an opposition to the erroneously-dubbed "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida in 2022.
LOS ANGELES - (L-R) Iman Vellani, Angelique Roche and Nia DaCosta attend THE MARVELS Fan Screening Surprise Talent Appearance at El Capitan Theatre on November 9. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
Elsewhere, Disney finds itself in an uncomfortable position. The studio's films are cratering. My colleague Ian Miller documented Disney's recent struggles last week:
"Wish has been a disaster, so have The Marvels, Lightyear, Strange World, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion, She-Hulk, Elemental…it’s remarkable.
"The Marvels may be one of their biggest financial disasters ever, considering the studio it came from and its production budget and advertising costs. After a disastrous opening weekend that came in tens of millions of dollars below expectations, The Marvels sunk even further in its second weekend. Somehow, box office receipts dropped over 78% from week-to-week, then another 37% over the Thanksgiving weekend.
"Given the ~$275 million budget another $275 million in ad costs, it’s likely Disney would need to make at least $575 million to break even. It grossed just $77 million domestically and $110 million internationally.
"Disney’s starting down a gigantic $350-375 million loss on just one movie."
Subsequently, Disney admitted in an annual SEC report that its business faces “risks” regarding “misalignment” with consumer preferences.
In layman's terms, Disney acknowledged that blending one-sided political messaging into its films has derailed its business.
As I often say, the vocal minority controls the perception but the silent majority controls the result.
Disney listened to the minority. The majority responded.
Believe it or not, moviegoers -- particularly children -- don't care about the skin colors of the directors. They just want to be entertained.
Disney stopped entertaining them. That, not the lack of "supervision," is the reason the company finds itself in this peculiar state.