Disney’s Movie Gambit Is Working
At 10 p.m. on Saturday evening, MickeyBlog’s staff chat suddenly lit up.
Now, I’m not giving away any trade secrets when I say that we’re not typically a chatty bunch at that time on Saturday evenings.
![Cinderella Castle Frozen Holiday Surprise Magic Kingdom Night Fireworks Castle Show](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Cinderella-Castle-Frozen-Holiday-Surprise-Magic-Kingdom-Night-Fireworks-Castle-Show-10.jpg)
![Cinderella Castle Frozen Holiday Surprise Magic Kingdom Night Fireworks Castle Show](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Cinderella-Castle-Frozen-Holiday-Surprise-Magic-Kingdom-Night-Fireworks-Castle-Show-10.jpg)
Cinderella Castle
However, a singular event caused several of us to check in, and you can probably guess what it was.
Frankly, the past two months of Disney Entertainment have represented some of the best times since the start of 2020.
![Disney+ ad](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/disney-plus-logo-100817726-large.jpeg)
![Disney+ ad](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/disney-plus-logo-100817726-large.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
Everything seems to be going right for the division right now after years of struggles.
Disney’s movie gambit is working. Let’s discuss what’s happening.
Less Is More
On a dark day in 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger sent a message to the troops.
The leader signaled that Disney was in freefall and needed to reboot.
![Bob Iger 2023 Shareholder Meeting](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bob-iger-2023-shareholder-scaled.jpeg)
![Bob Iger 2023 Shareholder Meeting](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bob-iger-2023-shareholder-scaled.jpeg)
Bob Iger – 2023 Annual Shareholder Meeting
So, Disney reconfigured its entire theatrical release schedule, thereby kicking the can down the road.
Perhaps the most shocking decision was that Disney would delay multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles.
![Marvel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/marvel-logo-card-1560x876_24.jpg)
![Marvel](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/marvel-logo-card-1560x876_24.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
These moves left Deadpool & Wolverine as the only MCU movie of 2024…and there’s absolutely NOTHING Disney about Deadpool, y’all.
Realistically, Iger and his team didn’t have a choice here. Disney’s 2023 lineup felt like lambs led to slaughter.
![Deadpool & Wolverine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-marvel-deadpool-and-wolverine.jpeg)
![Deadpool & Wolverine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-marvel-deadpool-and-wolverine.jpeg)
Photo: Marvel
While some titles performed well, the Hollywood headlines fixated on high-profile disappointments and bombs.
You remember the failures of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Wish.
![Brie Larson returns as Carol Danvers in The Marvels](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marvels_03.jpg)
![Brie Larson returns as Carol Danvers in The Marvels](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Marvels_03.jpg)
Image: Marvel
Simultaneously, Marvel star Jonathan Majors committed acts of violence against his then-girlfriend. So, Disney fired him.
Also, a rare level of turmoil existed within Marvel itself, with longtime power player Victoria Alonso eventually taking the fall.
![Jonathan Majors ABC Interview](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/jonathan-majors-1-abc-gmh-240105_1704474308210_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg)
![Jonathan Majors ABC Interview](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/jonathan-majors-1-abc-gmh-240105_1704474308210_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg)
Photo: ABC
Even worse, when Iger retired from Disney, his final job duties were to handle Disney’s storytelling processes.
So, the failures rested at his doorstep upon his return. With a rare demonstration of humiliation, Iger punted on the 2024 schedule.
![Bob Iger Shareholder Meeting 2024](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bob-iger-2024-shareholder-e1712696089719.jpeg)
![Bob Iger Shareholder Meeting 2024](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bob-iger-2024-shareholder-e1712696089719.jpeg)
Bob Iger – 2024 Annual Shareholder Meeting
Disney adopted a “less is more” approach by culling the list of titles, with only one Pixar film and zero Disney animation titles.
At the time, the move reeked of desperation. And the overall struggles of the movie industry magnified the concerns.
![Wish](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-disney-wish.jpeg)
![Wish](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-disney-wish.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
Nobody was quite sure whether the box office would ever fully recover…and we still don’t know.
One thing’s for sure, though. The other studios wish they were Disney right now.
The Blockbuster Hits
Specifically, Inside Out 2 has absolutely destroyed all reasonable box office expectations.
The delightful first film debuted in theaters in 2015 and promptly earned a stellar $859 million worldwide.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inside-out-characters-1024x576-1.webp)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inside-out-characters-1024x576-1.webp)
Photo: Disney/Pixar
While fans have shown that they’re receptive to a sequel, nobody could have possibly anticipated what happened next.
Since Disney had so few films on its 2024 schedule, it passionately marketed all of them.
![The emotions discover the Puberty button in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2pubertybutton-scaled.jpeg)
![The emotions discover the Puberty button in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2pubertybutton-scaled.jpeg)
Image: Pixar
The unexpected outcome, the one legitimately no one predicted, is that Inside Out 2 has become the biggest animated film ever.
With a running total in excess of $1.5 billion, Inside Out 2 has more than tripled the performance of last year’s Pixar title, Elemental.
![Anxiety is about to make some mistakes in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2thewrongemotions-scaled.jpeg)
![Anxiety is about to make some mistakes in Inside Out 2.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/insideout2thewrongemotions-scaled.jpeg)
Image: Pixar
This stunning box office triumph has banished any lingering doubts that Pixar as a brand is in trouble.
All Disney needed was a little marketing magic to get the money train running on time again.
An Unlikely Union
Similarly, Marvel’s recent struggles vanished overnight thanks to the foul-mouthed, murderous Deadpool.
Ryan Reynolds forged a strong relationship with Disney during the pandemic, nobly recording new videos every time the studio delayed Free Guy.
![Free Guy's infamous coffee poster](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/freeguycoffeeposter.jpg)
![Free Guy's infamous coffee poster](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/freeguycoffeeposter.jpg)
Image: Disney
Disney appreciated his loyalty and trusted the actor to create the kind of movie that the MCU had never produced.
Reynolds embraced the mantra of “Go big, or go home.” From the opening credits, Deadpool & Wolverine shows it’s no Disney movie.
![Deadpool & Wolverine trailer](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-19-at-12-22-13-Deadpool-Wolverine-Final-Trailer-YouTube-e1722002681973.png)
![Deadpool & Wolverine trailer](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-19-at-12-22-13-Deadpool-Wolverine-Final-Trailer-YouTube-e1722002681973.png)
Photo: Marvel
Still, Disney keeps all the money, and there’s going to be a lot of it.
The third Deadpool movie opened with the sixth-highest total in box office history and has already broken $450 million worldwide by the time you read this.
![Deadpool & Wolverine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-19-at-12-23-01-Deadpool-Wolverine-Final-Trailer-YouTube-e1722002831285.png)
![Deadpool & Wolverine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-19-at-12-23-01-Deadpool-Wolverine-Final-Trailer-YouTube-e1722002831285.png)
Photo: Marvel
As a reminder, the movie came out LAST FRIDAY!!!
By the end of this week, Deadpool & Wolverine should have earned enough to make it the second-biggest film of 2024.
![Deadpool & Wolverine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-marvel-cinematic-universe-deadpool-and-wolverine.png)
![Deadpool & Wolverine](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-marvel-cinematic-universe-deadpool-and-wolverine.png)
Photo: Marvel
Dune 2 needed three months to earn $700 million. Deadpool 3 will do it in ten days (or less).
At that point, Disney will claim the top two titles of the year.
The Big Reveal
Remarkably, Disney extended the momentum from Deadpool 3 last Saturday evening.
At the legendary Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel’s Kevin Feige took the stage and once again made the event seem significant.
![Comic-con](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-comic-con-marvel-kevin-feige-robert-downey-jr-russo-brothers.png)
![Comic-con](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-comic-con-marvel-kevin-feige-robert-downey-jr-russo-brothers.png)
Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Disney introduced the casts of Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts, two projects that suffered during Marvel’s 2023 turmoil.
Casting for Fantastic Four turned into a series of epic blunders and unwelcome leaks, while Thunderbolts lost its intended star.
![Fantastic 4: First Steps](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fantastic-4-First-Stepeps-e1722192134552.jpg)
![Fantastic 4: First Steps](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Fantastic-4-First-Stepeps-e1722192134552.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
Actor Steven Yeun dropped out of Thunderbolts after he’d been cast as The Sentry, the most integral character to the plot.
Meanwhile, more than two dozen people thought they were in the lead for roles as members of the First Family in Fantastic Four.
![Fantastic 4](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024-marvel-studios-fantastic-four-cast-e1708523137285.png)
![Fantastic 4](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024-marvel-studios-fantastic-four-cast-e1708523137285.png)
Photo: Marvel
Chaos reigned at Marvel from 2020-2023, a stark contrast to a decade of generally smooth operations.
Then, at Hall H, everything seemed forgotten when living legend Harrison Ford took the stage to discuss his role in Captain America: Brave New World.
![Captain America: Brave New World](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-marvel-captain-america-brave-new-world-poster.jpg)
![Captain America: Brave New World](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-marvel-captain-america-brave-new-world-poster.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
In a stunning twist, Ford wasn’t even the most famous person to appear, at least not in the eyes of Marvel fans.
Robert Downey Jr. took off his mask to reveal that he was Doctor Doom in the previously unannounced Avengers: Doomsday.
![Robert Downey Jr. Doom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-29-at-06-50-19-Robert-Downey-Jr.s-Casting-as-Doctor-Doom-Earns-Mixed-Reactions.png)
![Robert Downey Jr. Doom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-29-at-06-50-19-Robert-Downey-Jr.s-Casting-as-Doctor-Doom-Earns-Mixed-Reactions.png)
Photo: THR
Notably, the Russo Brothers, who left Marvel in 2019, are returning to direct that film as well as Avengers: Secret Wars.
Everything Old Is New Again
The casting of RDJ is what sent shockwaves through MickeyBlog’s staff and across the internet.
As preparations began for Avengers: Endgame, many members of the cast knew it was their final run.
![Endgame](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-marvel-captain-america-mjolnir-avengers-endgame.jpeg)
![Endgame](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-marvel-captain-america-mjolnir-avengers-endgame.jpeg)
Photo: Marvel
That’s because Iger had decided that he didn’t like paying so much money to famous actors.
At the time, the CEO believed strongly that Marvel sold itself. Paying RDJ $50 million for Endgame seemed like overkill.
![Iron Man](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AvengersEndgame5ce30b0ac1937-e1722359546849.jpg)
![Iron Man](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AvengersEndgame5ce30b0ac1937-e1722359546849.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
Five years later, Iger has realized his mistake. Marvel’s attempt to build a new, equally popular wave of Avengers has failed.
Fans complain that the MCU feels like homework now, as they must watch every Disney+ series to understand the movies.
![Echo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Echo.jpg)
![Echo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Echo.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
While that’s an extreme exaggeration, save for The Marvels, the perception has become a reality.
So, Disney has opened up its checkbook and given RDJ more cash.
![Downey Jr. Oscar](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-11-at-10-18-57-Robert-Downey-Jr.-wins-best-supporting-Oscar-for-Oppenheimer-e1716388151823.png)
![Downey Jr. Oscar](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-11-at-10-18-57-Robert-Downey-Jr.-wins-best-supporting-Oscar-for-Oppenheimer-e1716388151823.png)
Photo: Reuters
In exchange, the potential box office of Avengers: Doomsday probably just added $500 million, maybe even $1 billion.
While the early reception to this move hasn’t proven positive, I suspect everyone will forget that in a year.
![Avengers: Doomsday](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Avengers-Doomsday-e1722362049597.jpg)
![Avengers: Doomsday](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Avengers-Doomsday-e1722362049597.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
Presumably, Doctor Doom will appear in Fantastic Four, as he’s the arch nemesis of the First Family.
That film takes place in an alternate dimension, which makes Doom the new Big Bad.
![Robert Downey Jr.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-san-diego-comic-con-marvel-panel-robert-downey-jr-victor-von-doom1.png)
![Robert Downey Jr.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-san-diego-comic-con-marvel-panel-robert-downey-jr-victor-von-doom1.png)
Photo: Getty Images for Disney
Marvel basically just replaced Majors with RDJ…and who wouldn’t make that trade right now?
In the process, the box office potential of Fantastic Four probably just doubled, assuming RDJ is in it.
![Robert Downey Jr.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-san-diego-comic-con-marvel-panel-robert-downey-jr-victor-von-doom2.png)
![Robert Downey Jr.](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-san-diego-comic-con-marvel-panel-robert-downey-jr-victor-von-doom2.png)
Photo: Getty Images for Disney
Similarly, Marvel just reset the path and perception of the Avengers after a brutal struggle over the past five years.
Final Thoughts
None of this would have been possible if Disney hadn’t delayed many of its 2024 projects. The timeline would have been too condensed.
Those aren’t even the only benefits, either. In addition to securing the futures of Marvel and Pixar, Disney has set up even more.
![Robert Downey Jr. Dr. Doom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Downey-Jr.-Doom.jpg)
![Robert Downey Jr. Dr. Doom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Downey-Jr.-Doom.jpg)
Photo: Marvel
With such a scarcity of 2024 content, movie executives sought high and low for new options.
In the process, they realized that the Moana television series looked so good that it would translate well as a movie.
![Moana 2](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-29-at-07-28-29-Moana-2-Teaser-Trailer.png)
![Moana 2](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-29-at-07-28-29-Moana-2-Teaser-Trailer.png)
Photo: Disney
Now, Disney will end the year with Moana 2 in November and Mufasa: The Lion King in December.
There’s a real chance that Disney will finish 2024 with four of the top seven or eight films.
![Mufasa: The Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MTk4ODQ2NzUxMTY2MTc4NjY3.webp)
![Mufasa: The Lion King](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MTk4ODQ2NzUxMTY2MTc4NjY3.webp)
Photo: Disney
That could/should happen despite the fact that Disney emptied its 2024 movie calendar.
The “less is more” approach has worked. Disney’s movie gambit has proven successful.
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