Bob Iger Seemingly Blames Disney’s Positive Messaging For Movies Underperforming

This is the first year since 2014 that Disney didn’t have a movie reach the billion dollar mark in global box office, and it’s apparently getting to the guys at the top of the company. For Iger, sequels aren’t the problem. The problem, according to him, is the company’s fixation on making movies with positive messaging. He argues that while it’s good to do so, entertainment must always come first.

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During the Times’ Annual Summit in New York City, Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, chatted with New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin on the direction he wants to steer the global entertainment company.

“Creators lost sight of what their No. 1 objective needed to be,” Iger said at the DealBook Summit on Wednesday. “We have to entertain first. It’s not about messages.”

Iger previously shared his wishes to drive the company towards a more profitable and competitive future. One of the ways he will do this is by cutting down on the number of movies Disney makes per year.

Earlier this week at Town Hall, he told Disney employees to focus on making quality hit movies, promising that it will improve the perception of investors and employees alike.

Iger has been adamant about increasing the quality of movies and putting storytelling over messaging even during the 11 month he stepped down as Disney’s executive chairman.

However, even when Bob Chapek ran the company, he stayed on as head of “creative endeavors.”

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“We have entertained with values and with having a positive impact on the world in many different ways. ‘Black Panther’ is a great example of that,” Iger said. “I like being able to entertain if you can infuse it with positive messages and have a good impact on the world. Fantastic. But that should not be the objective. When I came back, what I have really tried to do is to return to our roots.”

Disney has faced backlash for including a same-sex kiss in 2022’s “Lightyear,” an openly gay character in 2022’s “Strange World.” 2023’s “Elemental” also includes a nonbinary character.

Leading the backlash are Republican politicians, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

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