Disney has 'killed a few projects' amid Marvel superhero movie implosion, says CEO Bob Iger - but we've not been 'so public about it'

Disney has quietly killed 'a few' film projects as it tries to recover from a series of underperforming movies both in box office and critic reviews.

CEO Bob Iger told investors the entertainment behemoth was focusing on creating quality films that audiences would want to watch.

Superhero films like The Marvels and last year's Ant-Man sequel lost money, along with other new releases Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Haunted Mansion were also panned by critics, the latter with a particularly bad 37 percent Rotten Tomatoes average.

Iger said Disney 'killed a few projects already that we just didn't feel were strong enough' as it tried to back the most promising ones.

'You have to kill things you no longer believe. And that's not easy in this business. Because either you've gotten started, you have some… costs,' he told an investor conference.

Chief executive Bob Iger told investors that Disney was focusing on creating quality films that audiences would want to watch

'It's a relationship with either your employees or with a creative community. And it's not an easy thing. But you got to make those tough calls.

'We've actually made those tough calls. We've not been that public about it.'

Iger didn't give any hint about which projects were dumped, but insisted it was just because they were not up to his lofty standards.

'You have to look at everything you're making, that you do believe in. And you have to take a position that good is not good enough. You have to basically strive for perfection,' he said.

Box office disappointments for Ant-Man and The Marvels prompted some to argue the studio is suffering from audience 'superhero fatigue' with too many films a year.

Last year, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania became the rare Marvel failure

The Marvels also scored 62 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but only made $206 million against a break-even target of $439.6 million

Iger has said Disney 'killed a few projects already that we just didn't feel were strong enough' as it tried to back the most promising ones

However, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 last May and Black Panther 2 in November 2022 both made healthy profits in the same time span. 

Guardians of the Galaxy is estimated to have earned $250 million in profit.

'It's not audience fatigue. They want great films. And if you build it great, they will come,' Iger said.

'You have to put into the pipeline things you really do believe in. And we know we're working on that as well.' 

The studio boss previously said the Disney+ streaming platform being flooded with MCU TV shows impacted The Marvels' box office.

Iger noted the Marvel franchise made $30 billion from 33 films and the needed to return to that trend going forward.

He said the studio needed to work more closely with filmmakers and 'engaging in a respectful process that results in improvement', as well as giving them more time and money to improve quality.

The past two years included high-profile blockbuster flops for films based on Disney properties that should, on paper, be profitable.

Haunted Mansion, based on the Disney World ride, had a 37 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and made $117 million against a $150 million production budget - not including much more in marketing spending

Jungle Cruise, also based on a ride, was better received by critics at 62 percent but made only $221 million - far less than the $600 million it needed to break even

Haunted Mansion, based on the Disney World ride, had a 37 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and made $117 million against a $150 million production budget - not including much more in marketing spending.

Jungle Cruise, also based on a ride, was better received by critics at 62 percent but made only $221 million - far less than the $600 million it needed to break even.

The Marvels also scored 62 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but only made $206 million against a break-even target of $439.6 million.

Ant-Man's results were even worse - panned by critics with 46 percent on RT and falling short of its $600 million break-even at $476.1 million.

This was made worse by the film's co-star Jonathan Majors beating his girlfriend weeks after the film was released, and later being convicted of assault.

Live-action remakes of Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and Mulan also underperformed, though received positive critical responses.