Disney will continue diving with both feet into its hit-or-miss sequel strategy.
After a limp box office performance from the live-action reimagining of “Moana” last month, Disney announced over the weekend a sweeping slate of sequel, spinoff and remake movies — alongside a smattering of upcoming original titles — showing no signs of stepping away from churning out more franchise films.
At the annual event for Disney superfans, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the studio confirmed a dozen franchise projects already in the works, per Deadline, including:
- “Frozen 3″
- “Zootopia 3″
- “X-Men” reboot
- “Star Wars: Starfighter”
- “Incredibles 3″
- “Coco 2″
- “Princess Diaries 3″
- “Lilo & Stitch 2″
- “Ice Age: Boiling Point”
- “Tangled” live-action reimagining
- “The Bluey Movie”
- “Indiana Jones & The Myth Of The Jade Serpent”
And a handful of upcoming original projects:
- “Hexed”
- “Clay”
- “Ghost Market”
With no original movies among its major summer releases this year, Disney has had a spotty season at the box office. Some of its franchise films have soared, while others have stumbled. “Toy Story 5″ opened to a staggering $475 million domestically and has now grossed more than $1.1 billion worldwide — a rare box office feat.
And Disney’s ninth “Spider-Man” installment, from Marvel, has delivered a record-breaking mega-performance in just weeks.
Other recent performances have been grim. The live-action reimagining of “Moana” opened in July with a slouchy $43 million domestically and has now earned $293 million after more than a month in theaters — a crushing run for a film that cost $250 million to produce and another $100 million to promote.
At the outset of the summer movie season, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” — the first theatrical “Star Wars” release from Disney in seven years — had a so-so opening of $81 million and has since stumbled to just $345 million worldwide.
After the pair of box-office disappointments, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro acknowledged on an earnings call with investors that the films had underperformed, while doubling down on their broader value to the company.
“Even when our franchise films don’t meet our box office expectations, as with ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ and the live-action ‘Moana,’ our investments in these core properties fuel other parts of our company,” D’Amaro said, per The Hollywood Reporter.
These films can still drive traffic to Disney’s parks, streaming platforms and retail stores, he added.
Disney’s method of squeezing more out of its established franchises with sequels, spinoffs and live-action remakes began in the mid-1990s as a risk-averse box-office strategy. The formula has generally worked, with many of the studio’s sequels making loads of money at the box office.
The studio’s biggest box office hit of all time is a sequel — “Avengers: Endgame” made $2.79 billion worldwide.
The formula has accelerated in recent years, with Disney churning out roughly a dozen franchise films every year. It is proving less reliable — audiences say they want more original films — but for every franchise box-office catastrophe, Disney will have a hit like “Spider-Man” or “Toy Story 5″ that makes up the difference.