There are a LOT of moving parts at the House of Mouse, and at the very top of the food chain is Bob Iger, a 67 year old who gets up at 4.15am to work out and then hit the office at 6.45am. Lack of effort is not a concern, and Barron’s look at the many plates Iger is spinning, including Galaxy’s Edge, Disney+ and the big screen.
The Star Wars lands are part of a five-year investment surge topping $20 billion that will multiply the number of lands and rides—“attractions,” Disney calls them—based on hit entertainment franchises like Avengers, Frozen, Toy Story, and yes, even Mickey Mouse, who turned 90 in November. The cruise-ship fleet will soon grow to seven from four.
“The most important thing for these executives is that they create great content for this platform,” Iger says. “And I will know whether they have.” The new streaming service won’t take away from big-screen debuts, he adds.
“When a movie opens up to $200 million, there’s a buzz it creates that enhances value,” Iger says. “We like that.” Big-budget Star Wars or Marvel movies will still open in theaters, but Disney will create related content for streaming, like The Mandalorian, a Star Wars series written and produced by Jon Favreau, who directed Iron Man for Disney. Few projects are close calls, Iger says. “[One] we’re making for the platform is a remake of Lady and the Tramp,” he says. “There was not one discussion about whether we should make that for the big screen.”