‘The Marvels’ Suffered From a Lack of ‘Supervision on the Set,’ Says Bob Iger; Disney CEO Admits Studio Has ‘Made Too Many’ Sequels Recently

variety.com:

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Disney CEO Bob Iger said at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit (via CNBC) following “The Marvels” flopping at the box office that there was a lack of supervision on the set of the film as a result of the COVID pandemic.

The combination of pandemic set restrictions and Disney’s increased output due to the launch of streamer Disney+ made it increasingly difficult for studio executives to oversee the onslaught of new productions.

Since opening in theaters in November, the Brie Larson-led Marvel sequel has only grossed $77 million at the domestic box office and $187 million worldwide.

It’s the biggest flop yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is shaping up to be the first MCU title not to cross the $100 million mark domestically. ″‘The Marvels’ was shot during Covid,” Iger explained. “There wasn’t as much supervision on the set, so to speak, where we have executives [that are] really looking over what’s being done day after day after day.” “The Marvels” flop follows other underperforming Disney films from this year such as “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” As Variety reported earlier this month, 2023 will mark the first time since 2014 (except for the pandemic-stricken years of 2020 and 2021) that Disney hasn’t launched a billion-dollar release.