Disneyis obviously going through a rough patch. Of course, as a giant in the entertainment business, a crisis forBob Iger’s companydoesn’t mean absolute failure or lack of successful products, but what is clear is that its biggest IPs are not performing as well as they used to. For a while now, the strategy behind its biggest brands has been more of a “hit-and-miss” approach, something that didn’t use to happen to Disney’s golden boys.
In case you were wondering, Disney’s golden boys are the ones you see first on their streaming platform: the Disney Studio (new animated films, live-action, etc.),Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar. Even though the Mouse’s studio has many well-known brands and important IPs, these four indubitably lead the way when it comes to producing the company’s biggest hits. Each of these four big players have their own release schedules and marketing, getting different promotion treatments and amount of products per year. The problem is that some are on the frontline while others are on the back. The time has come for Disney to push forward the middle child and make them shine: the one and only Pixar.
The Lackluster Strategy for the Golden Boys
The biggest problem right now is the treatment for Disney’s Studio,Star Wars, and Marvel, with each of them having very different issues. As mentioned, this does not mean there haven’t been some amazing and successful recent releases for them, but the lack of quality is noticeable when each new media is surrounded by viewers' doubts and low expectations.
In Disney’s Studio’s case, the problem seems to be a lack of clarity, strategically speaking. Films premiering in theaters to poor box office reception and then becoming popular products on Disney+ have been a constant for a while now, and upcoming releases are not getting enough promotion. There’s less hype among audiences on what’s next, and they simply bump into new titles when browsing for what to watch.
The problem here is that the return on investment with streaming series is not as straightforward as the one from the box office. Disney might not be cashing in as much as they would expect from one of its biggest franchises, and audiences might not be ready to rush to their local movie theaters for a newStar Warsfilm just yet.
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Last but not least, Feige’s Marvel is the brand that is struggling the most. With more misses than hits, the MCU’s direction is uncertain, and not even the most beloved characters manage to bring attention either in Cinemas or on streaming. The packed release schedule is generating the exact opposite now, with many choosing to skip new shows or movies due to a lack of interest. It’s the typical quality versus quantity scenario that Marvel needs to focus on in their strategy right now, but it doesn’t seem to be on the horizon of the brand’s executives, with adark omen for superhero fatigue.
Why and How Pixar Should Be the Leading Brand Now
Furthermore,Lightyearmarked the return of the brand to the big screenwith little success. It’s hard to pinpoint just one cause for this, but what certainly didn’t help was relying too heavily on known characters to try to draw audiences while changing the setting that made the spaceman/toy popular in the first place.
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Therefore, Disney needs to push Pixar to the front. However, this does not mean they need to pack Disney+ or their calendar of releases with new content. It should simply give visibility of what’s coming in a 5-year window of releases, with just one or two main films/shows a year. It should be conservative in quantity but innovative in quality, privileging new IPs over old ones (not evenToy Story 5).
Disney’s golden boys are still iconic. The hierarchy of them in their promotion is what needs to be revised now, and Pixar just can’t wait to be king of the upcoming release schedule. The company is stilldoing the heavy lifting for Disney, but it’s not getting the recognition it deserves. If its place in the strategy changes, the clouds around this new Iger era should start to dissipate soon.
