Upcoming Disney Prequels and Sequels Aiming to Overcome Box-Office Struggles

Disney unveiled several upcoming film projects during its biennial fan event, D23. Many are prequels and sequels based on existing intellectual properties, including “Toy Story 5” and “Mufasa: The Lion King.” Disney is leaning into these fan-favorite IPs after recent projects like “Wish” stumbled at the box office.

After a series of theatrical misfires, Disney aims to turn misery into magic by capitalizing on franchises that fans already love.

This weekend, crowds gathered at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. The biennial expo has become the ultimate experience for enthusiasts of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, 20th Century Studios, and everything else Disney owns.

On Friday, Disney CEO Bob Iger attended the expo, walking onto the main stage to thunderous applause. It was an uncharacteristic appearance from Iger, who hadn’t attended the event since 2019, a time when Disney was celebrated for box-office hits like “Avengers: Endgame” and “Toy Story 4.”

But times have changed. For years, Disney was known for delivering successful films repeatedly. “Frozen” grossed $1.3 billion worldwide in 2013, while its sequel surpassed that with $1.4 billion. Other franchise hits like “Avatar” made more than $5 billion across two films, and Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” grossed $2.7 billion.

Then, Iger retired in 2021, and Disney’s box office domination started to wane.

Although “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” surpassed $845 million worldwide, other films like “The Marvels” and “Wish” fell below expectations, earning $206 million and $254 million worldwide, respectively.

Disney began to lose its billion-dollar status, prompting executives to coax Iger out of retirement to helm the company again in 2022.

Iger acknowledged the challenges in a 2023 earnings call, saying the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the company’s plans to increase output.

“I’ve always felt that quantity can be a negative when it comes to quality, and I think that’s exactly what happened. We lost some focus,” Iger said.

Iger then suggested a new approach focusing on prequels and sequels.

“I feel really optimistic about the slate going forward, which is going to be a balance between some really strong sequels to some very popular titles, as well as some good original content,” he said.

Disney has already found success in 2024 by mining its existing stories. “Inside Out 2” was a hit this summer, grossing $1.4 billion so far. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the third in the Marvel franchise, is nearing the $1 billion mark less than a month after its July release.

At D23, fans were introduced to new projects based on Disney’s old IP, including “Moana 2” and a “Lion King” prequel titled “Mufasa.”

Here are all the prequel and sequel films Disney has on its docket:

– Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios:

• “Moana 2” — November 27, 2024.
• “Mufasa: The Lion King” — December 20, 2024.
• “Tron: Ares ” — October 10, 2025.
• “Zootopia 2” — November 26, 2025.
• “Freakier Friday” — 2025.
• “Frozen 3” — 2027.

– 20th Century Fox:

• “Avatar: Fire and Ash” — December 19, 2025.

– Pixar Animation Studios:

• “Toy Story 5” — June 19, 2026.
• “Incredibles 3” — currently in production.

– Lucasfilm:

• “The Mandalorian and Grogu” — May 22, 2026.

– Marvel Studios:

• “Captain America: Brave New World” — February 14, 2025.

Source: Business Insider