Universal has taught Disney a $4.9B lesson that could derail its Marvel and ‘Star Wars’ plans

The year that has just wrapped up didn’t exactly go as planned for Disney, as has been made abundantly clear by the interruption of a 7-year streak of box office domination.

2023 marks the first time since 2015 that Disney did not come out on top of global ticket sales, losing out to Universal’s massively successful run. Oppenheimer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Fast X‘s bombastic performances took the production giant over the edge, surpassing Disney by a stingy margin of $80 million, according to Variety.

While that might not be much of a difference, the fact that this was the first time in seven years that Disney did not lead the year’s box-office numbers should be ringing the alarm at the Mouse House that things have to change. Notably, Disney’s past year was marred by consecutive disappointments — from The Marvels and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny to The Little Mermaid and Wish.

Marvel fatigue and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s inner turmoil

Among Disney’s many slip-ups in 2023, Marvel was the most evident. The franchise that used to smash all records had one of its worst years ever — and not just at the box office, but on the small screen and in the media as well. The Marvels and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania both had disastrous runs, with the former becoming the juggernaut’s least successful film ever.

Scathing reports of behind-the-scenes turbulence exposed Marvel Studios’ wobbly future, which has been promptly managed by reducing the yearly output of films and shows, allowing for some fine-tuning in production and planning, as well as serving as an attempt to counter market saturation. A step in the right direction, but not nearly enough if storytelling quality isn’t restored along with a more reasonable release schedule — a big-enough set of dilemmas, and that’s without mentioning Marvel’s big Jonathan Majors problem.

Reboots and remakes are no longer special

Bringing back a fan-favorite property used to be a major event that people lined up to see, but when there are about 10 new reboots, remakes, or sequels announced every month, they end up losing their meaning. What’s more, these types of productions tend to lean on the popularity of their IP a little too much, failing to realize that no matter how beloved, unless a new installment lives up to what made the original special, it’s not going to go down well with the fanbase.

The Little Mermaid was a nice film that came out at the wrong time. Disney insists on producing live-action remakes of its cherished catalogue of princesses and other animated favorites, but while The Lion King, no matter how poor, was a novelty in its time, these big-budget CGI-filled live-actions are a dime a dozen these days.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny had Steven Spielberg to compete with, so the chances of it succeeding in capturing the magic of the franchise it was trying to bring back from the dead were slim to begin with. Of course, it became one of Disney’s most stunning flops in recent memory.

Disney forgot about being the biggest animation studio in the world

Amid all this, you ask, “I thought Disney made animated movies?” Yeah, so did we. 2023 made it seem like the creators of Mickey Mouse and hundreds of other iconic 2D characters were no longer interested in pursuing the legacy that set them apart from the rest. The marketing efforts for both Pixar’s Elemental and Walt Disney’s Wish pale in comparison to what the brand is doing for its live-action remakes and properties like Marvel and Star Wars.

Naturally, the result was two lackluster outings at the box office and two completely forgettable entries to the once-magical kingdom that terrorized parents everywhere with neverending Frozen merch and “Let It Go” singalongs. What gives?

By the way, 2023 was an amazing year for animation elsewhere. Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Universal’s own The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron were three of the biggest movies of the year.

Lessons Disney should learn from Universal

We’re not expecting Disney to make its own Oppenheimer any time soon. That is just not what the entertainment powerhouse is about. However, if there’s anything this past year has shown us, it’s that audiences are eager for original content. That might not mean the death of IP altogether, seeing as Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie were two of the biggest titles of the year, but rather it’s a sign to bet on new, refreshing takes on known concepts.

Here is a radical proposal: Treat audiences with respect. Don’t expect people to show up to theaters like sheep to watch yet another half-assed entry in a highly repetitive and way-too-extensive franchise that is still riding the coattails of past success. Believe it or not, the only way to create viral phenomena the likes of Barbenheimer, last year’s Top Gun: Maverick, or Avengers: Endgame, is to make great movies. To tell stories that resonate, and where the passion and dedication of those involved backstage are evident in the material; where characters and plots are well thought-out and allowed to simmer, instead of being pushed out in response to tight deadlines — a prime example of which being the only Marvel success of the year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

None of these concepts are revelations. Cinema used to be great, regardless of budget or scale, and so did Disney. It’s just a matter of believing in the potential of the medium again, and prioritizing creative voices over those whose only concern is the bottom line. If anything, Disney should regroup and go back to the essentials for the future of its flagships like Marvel and Star Wars, and while they’re at it, prioritize animation again.