Bob Iger says Marvel will release 3 movies and 2 shows a year

Disney CEO Bob Iger says the company is scaling back the MCU with a new mission to cut the number of Marvel TV series to two per year and film production to no more than three films per year.

This is part of Disney’s overall strategy to reduce production and focus on quality, a strategy that “is especially true with Marvel,” Iger said.

“We will slowly reduce the size and go probably to two television series a year instead of what has become four, and reduce our film production from four a year to two series, or a maximum of three,” the Disney CEO said during a press conference. The company’s quarterly earnings are on Tuesday. “We are working hard to define this path.”

Iger says Marvel has “a couple of good movies in ’25, and then we’re headed to more Avengers, which we’re very excited about,” adding: “Overall, I feel good about the slate. It’s something I’ve committed to spending more and more time on.” I have great confidence in the team and the intellectual property we mine, including all the sequels we do, is unparalleled.

On the TV side, Iger says part of the upcoming series, a slate that includes the Kathryn Hahn-led “Agatha” spinoff “WandaVision,” which is scheduled for release, is “a remnant of a past desire to scale up.”

Although Iger has previously announced plans to reduce Marvel franchise production, he has not previously been direct in terms of how many titles Disney plans to release for both TV and movies each year.

Later in the call, Iger answered a question about Disney’s focus on sequels and original films, noting that the focus currently is more on franchise films: “We’ll be balancing sequels with originals. In animation specifically, we went through a period where Our original films and animation, whether from Disney or Pixar, are dominant and we’re now swaying a bit to lean on sequels.

Iger cited Disney’s plans for the next “Toy Story” movie and the release of “Inside Out 2” this summer, and said those films have increased value because known intellectual property costs less in the marketplace.

As for Marvel, Iger pointed to the new “Thunderbolts” movie coming in 2025 along with the “Deadpool & Wolverine” sequel this summer and “Captain America: Brave New World” next year. “It’s just going to be a balance, which we think is right,” Iger said.