Bob Iger Says Disney Theme Parks Were Priced Too High In “Zeal To Grow Profit” – It’s “A Brand That Needs To Be Accessible”

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Veteran film producer Bob Yari (“Crash”) and music executive turned content maker Marvin Peart have formed WonderHill Studios, a film and production entity that will also offer independent theatrical distribtuion.  Yari and Peat privately raised equity for the new company, for which they will serve as co-founders and co-CEOs. The label will also dabble in film acquisitions and rights sales to foreign territories.  “WonderHill Studios is eager to fill a crucial hole within the theatrical and television space, while also focusing on diversity in cinema and television in front and behind the camera. We are dedicated to building a diverse C-suite, and delivering quality independent films to the theatrical marketplace,” Yari said. 

An attorney for bankrupt movie theater chain Cineworld said today it has “several” interested parties eyeing its business in “rest of world” — meaning Europe outside the UK, and Israel — but nothing pending for the entire company, or, it seems for Regal in the U.S.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Disney will begin layoff notices this week for more than 7,000 staffers whose positions will be eliminated as part of a deep cost-cutting effort that will be felt across all of the company’s key divisions. Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed Monday morning in a memo to employees that the layoffs will come in three waves, starting today. Iger disclosed the plan to significantly cut Disney’s overhead with massive staff reductions on Feb. 8. The cuts are expected to hit across the board and hit senior management levels as well as lower-level executives. “The difficult reality of many colleagues and friends leaving Disney is not something we take lightly. This company is home to the most talented and dedicated employees in the world, and so many of you bring a lifelong passion for Disney to your work here,” Iger wrote. “That’s part of what makes working at Disney so special. It also makes it all the more difficult to say goodbye to wonderful people we care about. I want to offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to every departing employee for your numerous contributions and your devotion to this beloved company.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger has confirmed the first of three rounds of layoffs is starting this week as the company looks to reduce its workforce by about 7,000 employees.

Kelly Rizzo is not interested in dating more than a year after the sudden death of her husband, Bob Saget. On Tuesday, Rizzo, 43, took to her Instagram Stories to answer fan questions in what she called a «14.5 month grief check-in.»Saget died at the age of 65 on Jan. 9, 2022, the day after he performed a stand-up show.

EXCLUSIVE: Bob Harras, the former editor-in-chief of both Marvel and DC Comics, has joined Immortal Studios as editor-at-large of its senior management team.

Just weeks after the Los Angeles home of late "Full House" star Bob Saget sold for $5.4 million, his widow Kelly Rizzo is opening up about her decision to cut the property loose. "It's such a strange thing, because the home situation — you know, there's so many things about Bob that you know he's still so present in my life," she explained of Saget, who passed away last January. "If you go into my new house, I mean, there's pictures of him everywhere.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Sonia Coleman, a 15-year Disney veteran, is taking on a new role as head of human resources. The Mouse House named Coleman as senior executive vice president and chief human resources officer of the Walt Disney Co., effective April 8. She most recently has served as SVP of human resources for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Coleman takes over the the top HR job at Disney from Paul Richardson, who is leaving the company after more than 15 years. As head of HR, Coleman will report directly to Bob Iger, who is serving as interim CEO for a two-year term. Coleman will oversee Disney’s HR strategy, global talent acquisition, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, organizational design and cultural development, employee education and development, compensation and benefits, HR operations and technology, and global security.

Bob Odenkirk’s next project is a very surprising remake.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Disney CEO Bob Iger is touting “newness” when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The executive appeared at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference and questioned whether or not Marvel needs to continue churning out multiple sequels for individual characters. His comments arrived amid critical and box office disappointment for the most recent MCU tentpole, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” “Sequels typically worked well for us,” Iger said at the conference. “Do you need a third and a fourth, for instance? Or is it time to turn to other characters?” Not only is “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” one of the worst-reviewed Marvel films in history (its 48% on Rotten Tomatoes nearly matches the record-low “Eternals” score of 47%), but the film dropped a massive 69% at the box office in its second weekend, marking the second-biggest drop in MCU history. “Quantumania” currently stands at $420 million worldwide and $189 million domestically. While these grosses are higher than the first two “Ant-Man” movies, they’re also underwhelming considering “Quantumania” kicks off Phase 5 of the MCU and introduces the new Thanos-sized villain of the franchise in Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conquerer.

Bob Iger returned as CEO of Disney last November, and since his return, the company’s mantra has been “stick with what works.” Last month, Iger put that into practice when he announced sequels to the “Toy Story,” “Frozen,” and “Zootopia‘ franchises. But what isn’t working at Disney recently? THR reports that Iger doesn’t like how expensive making films and shows has gotten, with Deadline adding that franchises like “Star Wars” and Marvel may see some shifts because of that.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has revolved around a core group of character for years now. However, Disney’s CEO Bob Iger is suggesting that will change in the coming years.

Disney CEO Bob Iger says the company is still being “very careful” with developing Star Wars feature films in the wake of Solo‘s soft box office, while Marvel is also getting a rethink in terms of how many sequels characters get.

Disney CEO Bob Iger called succession top priority as he moves to turn the company around and, with the board, name a new chief executive before the end of his two-year contract.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Bob Iger, just over three months back as CEO of Disney, discussed major organizational changes he’s made at the company — and his optimism about making streaming, particularly Disney+, a profitable piece of the empire. “I’m generally bullish on streaming as a great consumer proposition, as a really robust platform to deliver high-quality content,” Iger said, speaking Thursday at the 2023 Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in San Francisco. But “we have to better rationalize our costs” and “obviously we have to attract more subs.” In addition, he said, “In our zeal to grow global subs, I think we were off in terms of our pricing strategy, and we’re starting to learn more about it.” Iger also said Disney overall had a “disconnect” between what it was spending on content and how it was monetizing that — and that the company needs to become “more judicious” about content investment.

With the fate of Hulu’s ownership soon to be determined, Disney CEO Bob Iger says it is “very tricky” to pin down its long-term value given that streaming overall is still in a “nascent” stage.

J. Kim Murphy Bob Odenkirk has shared that he’s starring in a remake of the 2003 cult film “The Room,” taking on the lead role of Johnny, originated by the film’s writer and director Tommy Wiseau. Slashfilm first reported on the project Wednesday morning, with the “Better Call Saul” star corroborating the contained details through a post on his Twitter account. “This is real. This is true,” Odenkirk wrote Wednesday evening. “And let me tell you, I tried my best to SELL every line, as honestly as I could…and I had a BLAST.”This is real. This is true. And let me tell you, I tried my best to SELL every line, as honestly as I could…and I had a BLAST https://t.co/v261E1DKnG Before Odenkirk commented on the project, buzz around the remake of “The Room” had already emerged on social media in recent weeks. According to the report, the production comes from Acting For a Cause, an organization that has raised money for various charitable causes by asking for donations tied to digital performances. Founded and directed by Brando Crawford, the group has welcomed names like Zazie Beetz, Julia Fox, Alex Wolff and Justice Smith before.

Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish decided to, in his words, “cross the line” and address a recent bid the company received for Showtime.

Brent Lang Executive Editor It was supposed to be a night of celebration, but as the Academy Awards unfolded on April 7, 1970, there was a sense of anxiety and dissatisfaction gripping the movie business. Much like today, the industry was being divided by changing tastes and sensibilities, struggling to remain relevant in a period of social upheaval. Just before Bob Hope took the stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to the familiar refrain of “Thanks for the Memory,” John Wayne introduced the comic as “everybody’s friend.” But in an opening monologue, Hope made it clear to the audience that he was aligned with one ideological group in Hollywood. And even as he smiled good-naturedly, the biting tone of his jokes revealed that he was none too pleased with the direction that the movies were heading in.

K.J. Yossman Johnny Depp is selling a collection of silk-screen prints he has painted of public figures including Heath Ledger and Bob Marley through a London gallery for thousands of dollars. Titled “Friends & Heroes II,” the entire four-piece collection, which comes signed by Depp, is available for £17,500 ($21,000) from Castle Fine Art and includes portraits of Ledger and Marley together with River Phoenix and Hunter S. Thompson. The portraits were also made available individually for $5,400 each when they first went on sale two weeks ago but all 780 prints have now sold out.