After a series of theatrical misfires, Disney wants to turn misery into magic by doing what it does best: capitalizing on its already beloved franchises.
Crowds gathered at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, this weekend to attend D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. The biennial expo has become the ultimate fandom experience for enthusiasts who love Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, 20th Century Studios, and everything else Disney owns.
On Friday, Disney CEO Bob Iger attended the expo, walking onto the main stage to thunderous applause from the audience. It was an uncharacteristic appearance from Iger, who hadn’t attended the event since 2019 when Disney was aglow with praise for box-office hits like “Avengers: Endgame” and “Toy Story 4.”
But times have changed.
For years, Disney bolstered its reputation as an entertainment heavyweight that could deliver successful films over and over again. “Frozen” grossed $1.3 billion worldwide in 2013, while its sequel surpassed that at $1.4 billion. Other popular franchises like “Avatar” made more than $5 billion across two films, and Marvel Studios’ last installment of the “Avengers” series made $2.7 billion.
Then, Iger retired in 2021, and so did Disney’s undeniable reign at the box office.
Although films like “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” surpassed $845 million worldwide, others like “The Marvels” and “Wish” fell below expectations. Those films earned $206 million and $254 million worldwide, respectively.
Disney began sliding away from its billion-dollar benchmark, prompting executives to pivot their strategy and coax Iger out of retirement to again helm the company in 2022.
Iger acknowledged the stark reality in a 2023 earnings call, saying the COVID-19 pandemic hurt the company’s plan to ratchet up its project output.
“And I’ve always felt that quantity can be actually a negative when it comes to quality. And I think that’s exactly what happened. We lost some focus,” Iger said.
Iger then floated Disney’s life raft: prequels and sequels.
“I feel really optimistic about the slate going forward, which is going to be a balance between some really strong sequels to some very, very popular titles, as well as some good original content,” he said.
Disney has already found success in 2024 by mining its existing stories.
“Inside Out 2” was a success this summer, grossing $1.4 billion so far. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the third in the Marvel franchise, is nearing the $1 billion mark less than a month after its July release.
At D23, fans were introduced to a slate of new projects based on Disney’s old IP, including “Moana 2” and a “Lion King” prequel titled “Mufasa.”
Here are all the prequel and sequel films Disney has on its docket.
Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios
- “Moana 2” — November 27, 2024.
- “Mufasa: The Lion King” — December 20, 2024
- “Tron: Ares ” — October 10, 2025
- “Zootopia 2” — November 26, 2025
- “Freakier Friday” — 2025
- “Frozen 3″— 2027
20th Century Fox
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash” — December 19, 2025
Pixar Animation Studios
- “Toy Story 5” — June 19, 2026
- “Incredibles 3 ” — currently in production
Lucasfilm
- “The Mandalorian and Grogu” — May 22, 2026
Marvel Studios
- “Captain America: Brave New World” — February 14, 2025
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