Disney Admits Box Office Flops but Sees Value in Core Properties

Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro acknowledged that two of the studio's big box office bets, The Mandalorian & Grogu and the live-action Moana remake, were flops this year.

While Toy Story 5 and Spider-Man: Brand New Day have been huge hits in theaters, these two films did not meet expectations. However, D'Amaro emphasized that Disney's investments in these core properties still contributed to other parts of the company.

The Mandalorian & Grogu pulled in $345 million at the box office, but this was not enough to match other Star Wars cinematic releases. Moana earned $262 million worldwide, with a budget in the $250 million range. The live-action remake is expected to lose hundreds of millions for Disney when marketing costs are factored in.

The Disney chief noted that The Mandalorian's return to screens helped drive an increase in retail sales for the Star Wars franchise, and Moana is also expected to perform well on Disney+, a win for the studio's streaming arm. This suggests that while these films may not have been box office successes, they still hold value for other areas of the company.