Disney CEO Bob Iger Says 'I Don't Want to Apologize for Making Sequels'

Bob Iger gave another quibble to Disney’s tepid box office recently, but said the company has great theatrical offerings unmatched by other studios and “I guess I don’t want to apologize for making sequels.”

“Some of them did a very good job. And they were good movies, too. I think there has to be a reason to do it, outside of the business. You have to have a good story. And we did a lot,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the DealBook conference, which Held by the New York Times: “That doesn’t mean we won’t keep making them.”

Interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin read aloud a letter to shareholders written by Walt Disney in 1966, criticizing the sequels. “I am a natural experimenter. To this day, I do not believe in consequences. I cannot follow popular courses, I have to move on to new things. There are many new worlds to conquer. As a matter of fact, people have been asking us to Producing sequels since Mickey Mouse first became a star.

“Right now, we’re not thinking about making another Mary Poppins movie, and we never will. Maybe there will be other projects with equal critical and financial success. But we know we can’t hit a home run with the bases loaded every time we play.” We also know that the only way we can get to first base is to keep coming back and keep swinging.

Iger said he sometimes wanders into Walt’s office, which has been preserved as it was. “I go into his office, just to feel his presence. I know it sounds a little strange, but it’s a nice way to relax and appreciate the legacy of the company. And the first thing you really realize when you study Walt is that Walt was great at adapting to change. First, he loved technology, and he loved Using technology. He also knew that the world is not a static place.

He admitted that things had taken a turn, promising, as he did, that Disney would focus on quality rather than quantity from now on. WondersLast Indiana Jones And a handful of other films disappointed. But he also defended the studio record. “I’m not sure another studio would achieve some of the numbers we did. I mean, we’ve gotten to the point where if a movie doesn’t make a billion dollars at the global box office, we’re disappointed. That’s an incredibly high bar.”

“I’ve been very public about this and I would say now that my first priority is to help the studio transform creatively.”