Disney is aiming to reclaim its box office throne, and Bob Iger is making sure everyone knows it. On a recent earnings call with media analysts, the CEO laid out what he described as one of the studio’s strongest film lineups since 2019 — a year that produced six billion-dollar hits and crowned Disney as the global box office leader. Now, Iger is looking to repeat that success with a slate he believes will mark a return to form.
Leading the charge is the upcoming live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch, which is tracking for a domestic four-day opening of US$120 million, according to data shared with The Hollywood Reporter. Analysts from the National Research Group place its range between US$110 million and US$130 million, setting the stage for one of the biggest domestic debuts for Disney’s live-action reimaginings.
Pixar’s Elio, Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and returning properties like Tron: Ares, Zootopia 2, and Avatar 3: Fire and Ash are also part of Disney’s 2025 pipeline. Iger didn’t just name-check these titles, but underlined them as critical markers in a strategy shift focused on fewer, better films. “That’s quite a lineup,” he said on the call, before outlining what’s coming next.
Looking into 2026, Iger touted an even heavier roster. Audiences can expect Avengers: Doomsday, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Toy Story 5, and a live-action Moana. Comparing this lineup to Disney’s record-breaking 2019 slate, Iger said it’s the strongest he’s seen since that era. That year, films like Avengers: Endgame, Frozen 2, The Lion King, and Captain Marvel helped drive over US$11 billion in global box office revenue for the company.
But Iger isn’t just leaning on nostalgia or sequels. He pointed to Marvel’s Thunderbolts* as a sign of the studio’s new direction. With US$165.5 million in international earnings so far, the film is both a financial success and a creative reset.
“We all know that in our zeal to flood our streaming platform with more content, we turned to all our creative engines, including Marvel, and had them produce a lot more,” Bob Iger said. “We’ve also learned over time that quantity does not necessarily beget quality. And frankly, we’ve all admitted to ourselves that we lost a little focus by making too much, and … by consolidating a bit and having Marvel focus much more on their films, we believe that will result in better quality. And I think the first and best example is Thunderbolts*. I feel very good about that.”
With upcoming tentpoles already generating buzz, and Iger signaling a clear course correction, Disney seems poised to once again dominate both theaters and headlines. Whether the magic returns to its 2019 levels remains to be seen, but Iger is confident that Disney’s biggest stories are far from over.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
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