Disney CEO Bob Iger admits the company released too many ‘Star Wars’ films in a short time frame.
Iger believes "less is more" when it comes to the franchise and after Disney bought Lucasfilm and the rights to ‘Star Wars’ from George Lucas in 2012 he thinks that the releases should have been spaced out more as opposed to four films in six years.
In an interview with the BBC, he said: "I have said publicly that I think we made and released too many ‘Star Wars’ films over a short period of time. I have not said that they were disappointing in any way. I have not said that they were disappointing in their performance. I just think that there’s something so special about a ‘Star Wars’ film, and less is more."
However, the 68-year-old executive does not feel the same way about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Disney purchased Marvel in 2009 and the franchise has seen 10 films come out in the past three years, with a further eight scheduled in the next three years and he thinks that comic book world can cope with such a high volume of new movies.
Iger said: "Marvel is just doing sensationally well. The last film they released (‘Avengers: Endgame’) had the highest global box office in the history of the motion picture business, and the pipeline is very, very rich with new stories and new characters and new adventures and new superhero exploits. So not true."
The Disney CEO also responded to Martin Scorsese, who has dismissed the MCU as "not cinema", comparing the films to theme park rides.
He commented: "Martin Scorsese is a great filmmaker. I admire him immensely. He’s made some great films. I would debate him on this subject. First of all, Marvel’s making movies. They’re movies. That’s what Martin Scorsese makes. And they’re good movies."
Iger also suggested that Scorsese’s comments weren’t valid as the ‘Goodfellas’ director has never seen a Marvel film.
He said: "I don’t think he’s ever seen a Marvel film. Anyone who’s seen a Marvel film could not in all truth make that statement."