News The Walt Disney Company Board of Directors Extends Robert A. Iger’s Contract as CEO Through 2026

[Touchdown]

It’s cyclical. The 2000s saw WB pretty much controlling the box office with the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series, 2010s were Disney’s with Marvel and the Revival period in Animation, 2020 it’s still early but pointing to Universal starting to get dominant.

 

[JD80]

It’s cyclical. The 2000s saw WB pretty much controlling the box office with the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series, 2010s were Disney’s with Marvel and the Revival period in Animation, 2020 it’s still early but pointing to Universal starting to get dominant.

Not sure about Universal dominating.

This is just domestic top ten numbers.

Universal in 2023 had Mario (#2) and Oppenheimer (#5) which were smash successes for sure. 2022 had Jurassic World (#5) and Minions (#6). 2021 had F9 (#5)

Comparatively, for Disney in 2023 they had #4, #6, #7 #8, in 2022 they had #2, #3, #4, #8 (#9 if you count Spider Man) and in 2021 (#1 if you count Spider Man), #2, #4, #6, #10

 

[Disney Analyst]

Disney's management has made mistakes, particularly in regards to the parks. However, the once-in-a-century pandemic that threw the entire entertainment industry into chaos and changed theater-going in ways we still don't understand, the streaming revolution which altered entertainment consumption more profoundly then anything since suburbanization and the advent of television in the post-war period, the baseless but concerted political assault on Disney which was amplified by many of the most powerful people and media outlets in the country (and was enthusiastically endorsed by a subsection of fans) all played a role in the instability that has plagued Disney. We haven't seen anything like the social, economic, cultural, and political changes that have destabilized the entertainment industry since the late 40s (and, very arguably, since the advent of cinema). To pretend otherwise is ahistorical and reflects a desire to push an agenda rather then engage in a useful conversation about Disney's past, present, and future.

Nail on the head. Thank you.

 

[Lilofan]

Disney has made hundreds of strategic and tactical mistakes since the Fox purchase. All these screw-up's are not even the most serious problem that Burbank has!

The problem Burbank has is their "attitude". It's their TOXIC arrogance and hubris that is in Disney's Boardroom!! Burbank is literally rotten right now. For years,...they have had the "Titanic" mentality that goes like this:

"We are so big and strong and powerful that not even God can sink this ship...and that is why we don't fear icebergs...."

It is THIS toxic ARROGANCE that has driven Disney straight into icefields with no fear. Every iceberg they hit,..they LAUGH at. "Sir,...we struck another berg and are taking on more water!" and Burbank's reply is always: "Haha,...so what?.. we are "Disney" and we are bulletproof and we'll never sink...full steam ahead!!!"

Burbank is toxic and going further,...they have NO respect for this company's lineage and history. Their ONLY concern today is pushing modern day political messaging and tearing down and replacing it's past as fast as possible.

Burbank needs to be replaced with people that LOVE this company and it's past and are NOT trying to use Disney as an iconic media platform for "personal" political addenda's.

BTW?...do you know "why" Disney has no Iger successor in the pipeline?? Because IGER has made DARN SURE that nobody will ever get close enough to him to challenge him. Iger stacked the Board with HIS people. Yes,..there is no second in line today behind Iger....and that is 100%....BY DESIGN!

Roy passed on years ago. Good luck finding someone to get rid of a CEO and Save Disney.

 

[_caleb]

This post comes across to me as an example of someone upset by things they’ve projected onto a corporation.

Disney has made hundreds of strategic and tactical mistakes since the Fox purchase. All these screw-up's are not even the most serious problem that Burbank has!

It’s easy for those of us with no skin in the game to criticize a business’s decisions. Calling them “mistakes” seems to assume there right and wrong decisions along the way, and that we know what the right ones would have been.

The problem Burbank has is their "attitude". It's their TOXIC arrogance and hubris that is in Disney's Boardroom!! Burbank is literally rotten right now. For years,...they have had the "Titanic" mentality that goes like this:

Unless we've actually been in the boardroom, I'm not sure how they could possibly know anything about the attitude in the room or deem it to be TOXIC or arrogant. Also, "literally doesn't mean figuratively, but I really mean it."

"We are so big and strong and powerful that not even God can sink this ship...and that is why we don't fear icebergs...."

It is THIS toxic ARROGANCE that has driven Disney straight into icefields with no fear. Every iceberg they hit,..they LAUGH at. "Sir,...we struck another berg and are taking on more water!" and Burbank's reply is always: "Haha,...so what?.. we are "Disney" and we are bulletproof and we'll never sink...full steam ahead!!!"

This is a colorful illustration, but I'm not sure how it applies. What "icebergs" has Disney laughed at? And how have they laughed at them? When Disney saw the huge iceberg of radical changes to consumer behavior, they made some pretty bold decisions to pivot to Direct-to-Consumer. And they hardly seem fearless in how they've gone about it. Word is, they saw streaming as an existential threat and saw this as their best option.

Burbank is toxic and going further,...they have NO respect for this company's lineage and history. Their ONLY concern today is pushing modern day political messaging and tearing down and replacing its past as fast as possible.

I'm sure it might seem this way to some, but it seems like an overstatement based on some pretty deep ideological projection.

Burbank needs to be replaced with people that LOVE this company and it's past and are NOT trying to use Disney as an iconic media platform for "personal" political addenda's.

I'm not sure what makes anyone think current employees don't love the company (or how they'd want that to be demonstrated), but what personal agendas do Disney's executives have, and how have those been displayed in ways that aren't completely dependent on ideological interpretation? Are you judging this by your opinion of their output?

BTW?...do you know "why" Disney has no Iger successor in the pipeline?? Because IGER has made DARN SURE that nobody will ever get close enough to him to challenge him. Iger stacked the Board with HIS people. Yes,..there is no second in line today behind Iger....and that is 100%....BY DESIGN!

Disney has a committee of advisors who are helping the company identify possible successors, and there are several "in the pipeline." Rumors are that the short list may include:

• From inside TWDC:
  • Dana Walden
  • Alan Bergman
  • Rebecca Campbell
  • Josh D'Amaro
  • Sean Bailey
• From outside TWDC:
  • Kevin Mayer, Candle Media
  • Ynon Kreiz, Mattel
  • Adam Silver, NBA

It seems to me that a lot of what's got you all worked up may not even be real. Hope this helps!

 

[Disney Analyst]

This post comes across to me as an example of someone upset by things they’ve projected onto a corporation.

It’s easy for those of us with no skin in the game to criticize a business’s decisions. Calling them “mistakes” seems to assume there right and wrong decisions along the way, and that we know what the right ones would have been.

Unless we've actually been in the boardroom, I'm not sure how they could possibly know anything about the attitude in the room or deem it to be TOXIC or arrogant. Also, "literally doesn't mean figuratively, but I really mean it."

This is a colorful illustration, but I'm not sure how it applies. What "icebergs" has Disney laughed at? And how have they laughed at them? When Disney saw the huge iceberg of radical changes to consumer behavior, they made some pretty bold decisions to pivot to Direct-to-Consumer. And they hardly seem fearless in how they've gone about it. Word is, they saw streaming as an existential threat and saw this as their best option.

I'm sure it might seem this way to some, but it seems like an overstatement based on some pretty deep ideological projection.

I'm not sure what makes anyone think current employees don't love the company (or how they'd want that to be demonstrated), but what personal agendas do Disney's executives have, and how have those been displayed in ways that aren't completely dependent on ideological interpretation? Are you judging this by your opinion of their output?

Disney has a committee of advisors who are helping the company identify possible successors, and there are several "in the pipeline." Rumors are that the short list may include:

• From inside TWDC:
  • Dana Walden
  • Alan Bergman
  • Rebecca Campbell
  • Josh D'Amaro
  • Sean Bailey
• From outside TWDC:
  • Kevin Mayer, Candle Media
  • Ynon Kreiz, Mattel
  • Adam Silver, NBA

It seems to me that a lot of what's got you all worked up may not even be real. Hope this helps!

It seems what’s gotten a lot of these people worked up is the political / media / so-called “Disney fan boy” propaganda that has become popularized and mainstream.

Of course every company makes mistakes, strategic errors, and sees highs or lows.

But honestly, everything I am hearing comes across more like these people are mad about capitalism; and how publicly traded companies function under our current systems.

I know any CEO who takes over, and any board for Disney, are going to have the same goals.

 

[Touchdown]

Not sure about Universal dominating.

This is just domestic top ten numbers.

Universal in 2023 had Mario (#2) and Oppenheimer (#5) which were smash successes for sure. 2022 had Jurassic World (#5) and Minions (#6). 2021 had F9 (#5)

Comparatively, for Disney in 2023 they had #4, #6, #7 #8, in 2022 they had #2, #3, #4, #8 (#9 if you count Spider Man) and in 2021 (#1 if you count Spider Man), #2, #4, #6, #10

Just looking at what’s coming down this year, Despicable Me 4, Kung Fu Panda 4, Twisters, Wicked all have the potential to pop. Disney will have a hit with Deadpool, but what else is there. Warner has Dune 2, Furiosa, Twisters, Joker, Beetlejuice which is also strong but lacks the broad family release that Universal has (twice) this year.

 

[JD80]

Just looking at what’s coming down this year, Despicable Me 4, Kung Fu Panda 4, Twisters, Wicked all have the potential to pop. Disney will have a hit with Deadpool, but what else is there. Warner has Dune 2, Furiosa, Twisters, Joker, Beetlejuice which is also strong but lacks the broad family release that Universal has (twice) this year.

TWDC movies for 2024 that might have a shot at a top 10 spot:

1. Planet of the Apes
2. Inside Out 2
3. Deadpool 3
4. Alien (doubtful but maybe)
5. Mufasa

 

[Cliff]

TWDC movies for 2024 that might have a shot at a top 10 spot:

1. Planet of the Apes
2. Inside Out 2
3. Deadpool 3
4. Alien (doubtful but maybe)
5. Mufasa

Maybe Disney could take it's logo off some of these movies? Who knows, if people don't realize it's from "Disney",...the movie might do better? Just sayin' folks! It's a funny notion! ;-)

Is "brand damage" a real thing?

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

TWDC movies for 2024 that might have a shot at a top 10 spot:

1. Planet of the Apes
2. Inside Out 2
3. Deadpool 3
4. Alien (doubtful but maybe)
5. Mufasa

Can’t speak to the rest of these but Deadpool 3 has Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. There’s no universe in which this isn’t a hit, although I guess the ‘R’ rating might hurt it a little.

 

[JD80]

Can’t speak to the rest of these but Deadpool 3 has Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. There’s no universe in which this isn’t a hit, although I guess the ‘R’ rating might hurt it a little.

Yeah Deadpool 3 will be a success but rated R movies typically have ceilings.

 

[Cliff]

Can’t speak to the rest of these but Deadpool 3 has Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. There’s no universe in which this isn’t a hit, although I guess the ‘R’ rating might hurt it a little.

Oh,...given everything we have seen Disney do to other movies in the past 5 years...I can imagine a hundred ways that Disney could ruin Deadpool 3. I would even guess that Disney has already "tried" to ruin this movie any maybe Ryan fought them off. I dunno....but "this" kind of movie is exactly the perfect target that many Disney creatives would try to "fix" and "clean" and "purify".

I would guess again that Disney has already watered the jokes down to keep them minimally offensive for todays modern thinking.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Just looking at what’s coming down this year, Despicable Me 4, Kung Fu Panda 4, Twisters, Wicked all have the potential to pop. Disney will have a hit with Deadpool, but what else is there. Warner has Dune 2, Furiosa, Twisters, Joker, Beetlejuice which is also strong but lacks the broad family release that Universal has (twice) this year.

Twisters? You think that’s more likely to be a winner than Inside Out 2? I think politics may be clouding your box office analysis.

 

[Ayla]

Can’t speak to the rest of these but Deadpool 3 has Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. There’s no universe in which this isn’t a hit, although I guess the ‘R’ rating might hurt it a little.

Pretty sure all Deadpool movies are rated R.

 

[_caleb]

Oh,...given everything we have seen Disney do to other movies in the past 5 years...I can imagine a hundred ways that Disney could ruin Deadpool 3. I would even guess that Disney has already "tried" to ruin this movie any maybe Ryan fought them off. I dunno....but "this" kind of movie is exactly the perfect target that many Disney creatives would try to "fix" and "clean" and "purify".

I would guess again that Disney has already watered the jokes down to keep them minimally offensive for todays modern thinking.

There you go again, making things up and then getting really upset over them. Honestly, you might like the Disney that actually exists better than this terrible one you’ve made up in your mind.

Also, what are all the quotation marks for?

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Maybe Disney could take it's logo off some of these movies? Who knows, if people don't realize it's from "Disney",...the movie might do better? Just sayin' folks! It's a funny notion! ;-)

Is "brand damage" a real thing?

Disney’s name/logo isn’t attached to 3 of 5 of those movies.

 

[WoundedDreamer]

Twisters? You think that’s more likely to be a winner than Inside Out 2? I think politics may be clouding your box office analysis.

Inside Out 2 is going to be one of the most fascinating releases of 2024. No doubt about it. It will be a test of Pixar's ability to leverage an already-established brand. Bob Iger has laid out a strategy of avoiding original releases and only releasing sequels as the solution. Actually, a similar strategy to his predecessor's later era. According to Iger, this is the key to fixing the ailing Pixar brand.

The original grossed $1.1 Billion in 2024 US dollars. Typical Pixar sequels easily outgross the original inflation-adjusted release. (Toy Story 2 > Toy Story, Cars 2 > Cars, MU > Monster's Inc, Incredibles 2 > Incredibles). The only inflation-adjusted original release that beat its sequel was the iconic Finding Nemo (which earned a whopping $1.45 Billion in 2023 dollars). Will the trend hold? I think most everyone (including Pixar) would be happy with a $600-$800 million gross. If it can land in that range, which seems doable, it will be considered a success. I'm not banking on it reaching the original's $1.1 Billion, but anything is possible.

The future of Pixar is riding on this film being a success.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Inside Out 2 is going to be one of the most fascinating releases of 2024. No doubt about it. It will be a test of Pixar's ability to leverage an already-established brand. Bob Iger has laid out a strategy of avoiding original releases and only releasing sequels as the solution. Actually, a similar strategy to his predecessor's later era. According to Iger, this is the key to fixing the ailing Pixar brand.

The original grossed $1.1 Billion in 2024 US dollars. Typical Pixar sequels easily outgross the original inflation-adjusted release. (Toy Story 2 > Toy Story, Cars 2 > Cars, MU > Monster's Inc, Incredibles 2 > Incredibles). The only inflation-adjusted original release that beat its sequel was the iconic Finding Nemo (which earned a whopping $1.45 Billion in 2023 dollars). Will the trend hold? I think most everyone (including Pixar) would be happy with a $600-$800 million gross. If it can land in that range, which seems doable, it will be considered a success. I'm not banking on it reaching the original's $1.1 Billion, but anything is possible.

The future of Pixar is riding on this film being a success.

Wasn’t the teaser trailer one of the most watched?

I think the movie will be a big fat hit.

 

[Touchdown]

Twisters? You think that’s more likely to be a winner than Inside Out 2? I think politics may be clouding your box office analysis.

I forgot about Inside Out 2, that’s on the list with Deadpool.

Also, you are way off on your inference.

 

[JD80]

Oh,...given everything we have seen Disney do to other movies in the past 5 years...I can imagine a hundred ways that Disney could ruin Deadpool 3. I would even guess that Disney has already "tried" to ruin this movie any maybe Ryan fought them off. I dunno....but "this" kind of movie is exactly the perfect target that many Disney creatives would try to "fix" and "clean" and "purify".

I would guess again that Disney has already watered the jokes down to keep them minimally offensive for todays modern thinking.

Man how soon we forget.