Disney Chief Bob Iger Expects Marvel to Announce Upcoming MCU Titles This Summer
While Disney and Marvel’s smash hit “Avengers: Endgame” continues to dominate the box office, fans and investors alike are already looking forward to the next round of Marvel Cinematic Universe films. That includes Disney chief Bob Iger, who was asked in an earnings call on Wednesday afternoon when fans of the franchise can expect to hear about the official titles of a slew of already-announced MCU films. While Iger couldn’t offer specifics, he did say that he expects Marvel to announce some new titles in the coming months.
Iger, the chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, also pointed to the studio’s recently updated release calendar, which earlier this week reconfirmed eight previously announced Marvel dates (without titles and nothing beyond the barest of details, all are listed as “Untitled Marvel” on official releases). When asked about which MCU films will join the successful franchise, Iger coyly offered, “We obviously know what they are.”
But that doesn’t mean he had permission to share that information on the public call, as he noted that Marvel would likely be announcing the news in their own way, though he added that he’s “guessing they will announce later this summer.”
In recent years, Marvel has revealed new films at major events like Comic-Con (which, yes, does take place in the summer in San Diego) and its own massive press conferences (in October 2014, Marvel head Kevin Feige announced no less than eight titles at a show-stopping event held in Hollywood). At the “Avengers: Endgame” premiere last month, Feige told IndieWire’s Anne Thompson that he won’t announce Phase 4 until after he opens Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man: Far from Home” on July 5.
Still, Iger indicated that there are hints to the yet-to-be-announced films in “Avengers: Endgame” that eagle-eyed fans will surely be able to spot, though he stopped himself before going any further.
The success of “Avengers: Endgame” — which was obviously top of mind, as Iger announced early in the call that the film “continues to exceed even our highest expectations” — is indicative of the continuing interest in the franchise. Iger also announced that the film will be available on Disney+ on December 11, just a month after the much-hyped streaming platform launches. (Also of note, Iger promised further information about a growing Marvel presence at the company’s theme parks, including a Spider-Man-centric rollercoaster to come at Disney’s Disneyland, with more details to come.)
Senior Executive Vice President and CFO Christine McCarthy also nodded to the “outstanding performance” of last year’s hit “Black Panther” and the “stronger than anticipated performance” of the pre-“Endgame” March release “Captain Marvel.”
In advance of the quarterly check-in, the Walt Disney Company also released its first earnings report since wrapping up its mammoth $71.3 billion deal to buy the majority of 21st Century Fox’s film and television assets. The studio beat Wall Street expectations, as analysts predicted quarterly earnings of $1.58 a share on sales of $14.5 billion, and the corporation ultimately reported revenues of $14.9 billion on earnings per share of $1.61.
