Disney CFO: "Star Wars to follow Marvel strategy."

[Twin Dad]

http://www.thewrap.com/disney-cfo-star-wars-will-follow-marvel-strategy/

Jay Rasulo says company will use the same blueprint to integrate LucasFilm into its plans

The Walt Disney Company may not be done shopping, Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo said at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York on Tuesday.

The media conglomerate has been responsible for some of the biggest entertainment deals in the past decade — plunking down $7.4 billion for Pixar Animation in 2006 and following that up with $4 billion deals for Marvel and LucasFilm in 2009 and 2012, respectively.

However, the company’s recent decision to increase its buyback plans and repurchase $6 billion to $8 billion of stock starting in 2014 made it look as though Disney was done with blockbuster purchases.

“It’s safe to say you’ll continue to see us doing acquisitions in the future,” Rasulo told the Wall Street heavy crowd, advising them to not read too much into the buyback plans.

Also read: ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Review: Peter Jackson’s Second Verse Is Better Than the First

He did say, however, that any deals would probably be smaller in size, noting that the company did not have “anything on the scale of LucasFilm or Marvel” in its sights.

When it comes to integrating LucasFilm and its “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” brands into the Magic Kingdom, Rasulo said the model will be closely aligned to how it has treated another one of its major purchases.

“You can substitute the word Marvel for LucasFilm,” Rasulo said.

The strategy when it came to capitalizing on the comic book empire, Rausl0 said was “..to take this treasure trove of content and deliver it through the Disney eco-system.”

That manifested itself in the way that the cinematic adventures of individual superheroes like Captain America and Iron Man all fed into one massive super-team film, “The Avengers.” The global success of “The Avengers,” in turn, provided a substantial “box office lift” to solo outings such as “Thor: The Dark World” and “Iron Man 3″ that were released in its wake, Rasulo argued.

Likewise, the box office heft of the film franchises generated interest in television spin-offs like ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and an upcoming series of shows based on characters like Luke Cage and Daredevil that will be released on Netflix.

In a sign that Disney will not veer far from “The Avengers” blueprint, the studio has said that it will release a new “Star Wars” film each year beginning in 2015, which will be comprised of a new trilogy that follows up on the original six films and a series of standalone projects.

On the consumer products end, Rasulo said that Marvel and its legion of superhero characters have been “fully integrated” into the company’s toys and other divisions and he expects that “Star Wars” will soon join those comic book creations in popping up all over Disney’s myriad business interests.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

So assembly line style movies and lots of focus on walmart in isle 21...

Business as usual... Nothing to see here. Not surprising to anyone - I would hope

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

So assembly line style movies and lots of focus on walmart in isle 21...

Business as usual... Nothing to see here. Not surprising to anyone - I would hope

@lockedoutlogic...you always crack me up!

Cynical, but funny.

 

[Twin Dad]

So assembly line style movies and lots of focus on walmart in isle 21...

Business as usual... Nothing to see here. Not surprising to anyone - I would hope

You're probably right. Fortunately the Star Wars tree is rife with branches that could be used for spin offs. Darth Bane and Revan come to mind. However, there was already a strong Star Wars presence on the toy and clothing aisles. I don't see a big change there. My guess is the change there will be which Chinese sweat shops the products come from.

Another way I read it is Disney is going to take a hands off approach when it comes to the movies. One of the big fears of the geeks is Disney is going to come in and make the movies "Disney-fied." By saying Star Wars will follow the Marvel model Disney will put those fears to bed.

 

[wiigirl]

Interesting....

 

[lockedoutlogic]

You're probably right. Fortunately the Star Wars tree is rife with branches that could be used for spin offs. Darth Bane and Revan come to mind. However, there was already a strong Star Wars presence on the toy and clothing aisles. I don't see a big change there. My guess is the change there will be which Chinese sweat shops the products come from.

Another way I read it is Disney is going to take a hands off approach when it comes to the movies. One of the big fears of the geeks is Disney is going to come in and make the movies "Disney-fied." By saying Star Wars will follow the Marvel model Disney will put those fears to bed.

This is exactly what I DON'T want...trying to capitalize on bit characters.

The original Star Wars was a huge success and a phenomenon because it was mainstream. There wasnt the potential for a huge "geekdom" following at that point.
It needs to go back there to have staying power... Not "expansion into the EU". Like the Cartoon Network stuff and selling toys with characters that never appeared in a significant (I.e. motion picture and major television) platform characters on product... This is the cheapening of the product.

This article is the first Indication that Disney is going to beat it like a pack mule - as we all feared.
The problem is that Star Wars is very much a reclamation project. It makes money but at the cost of further erosion of what used to sit on top of the mountain.

 

[boreas154]

This is exactly what I DON'T want...trying to capitalize on bit characters.

The original Star Wars was a huge success and a phenomenon because it was mainstream. There wasnt the potential for a huge "geekdom" following at that point.
It needs to go back there to have staying power... Not "expansion into the EU". Like the Cartoon Network stuff and selling toys with characters that never appeared in a significant (I.e. motion picture and major television) platform characters on product... This is the cheapening of the product.

This article is the first Indication that Disney is going to beat it like a pack mule - as we all feared.
The problem is that Star Wars is very much a reclamation project. It makes money but at the cost of further erosion of what used to sit on top of the mountain.

I disagree. Part of what has kept the Star Wars IP alive is the inclusion of the expanded universe (EU). With very little thought I could list off movies and cultural hits from my childhood that are irrelevant today. Due to Lucas (and now Disney) encouraging ventures outside the original story with toys, video games, novels, etc... it has allowed the franchise to bridge across generations. I don't think I could find a child in my DS's class that doesn't know the basics of Star Wars. You see this as "...further erosion of what used to sit on top of the mountain.", I see it as a chance to reinforce the mountain and watch it grow. With each new story arc presented to new viewers, it will only drive them to watch (or re-watch) the originals.

 

[quikah]

It needs to go back there to have staying power... Not "expansion into the EU". Like the Cartoon Network stuff and selling toys with characters that never appeared in a significant (I.e. motion picture and major television) platform characters on product... This is the cheapening of the product.

Oh come on. Star Wars has always been about merchandising. how many bit characters from the movies had action figures made for them? I don't see how Disney can get any worse than that.

 

[glvsav37]

Oh come on. Star Wars has always been about merchandising. how many bit characters from the movies had action figures made for them? I don't see how Disney can get any worse than that.

Spaceballs...the tee shirt

Spaceballs...the lunch box

Spaceballs...comic book

Spaceballs...the flame thrower! The kids are gonna love that one

And Spaceballs...the me..."May the Schwartz be wit'chu!"

 

[Soarin4Disney]

I disagree. Part of what has kept the Star Wars IP alive is the inclusion of the expanded universe (EU). With very little thought I could list off movies and cultural hits from my childhood that are irrelevant today. Due to Lucas (and now Disney) encouraging ventures outside the original story with toys, video games, novels, etc... it has allowed the franchise to bridge across generations. I don't think I could find a child in my DS's class that doesn't know the basics of Star Wars. You see this as "...further erosion of what used to sit on top of the mountain.", I see it as a chance to reinforce the mountain and watch it grow. With each new story arc presented to new viewers, it will only drive them to watch (or re-watch) the originals.

So true!!! My kids fell in love with Star Wars not because of the Original movies, but because of the Clone Wars cartoons on Cartoon Network. Because of that, we've gone back and seen the movies with them. My oldest has been reading EU novels too. This creates a greater love of the franchise when you can expand it.

 

[Twin Dad]

This is exactly what I DON'T want...trying to capitalize on bit characters.

The original Star Wars was a huge success and a phenomenon because it was mainstream. There wasnt the potential for a huge "geekdom" following at that point.
It needs to go back there to have staying power... Not "expansion into the EU". Like the Cartoon Network stuff and selling toys with characters that never appeared in a significant (I.e. motion picture and major television) platform characters on product... This is the cheapening of the product.

This article is the first Indication that Disney is going to beat it like a pack mule - as we all feared.
The problem is that Star Wars is very much a reclamation project. It makes money but at the cost of further erosion of what used to sit on top of the mountain.

Come on, Star Wars has been capitalizing on bit players since the beginning. Boba Fett and Wicket anyone? The success of the EU was proof that there was still a demand for Star Wars nearly a decade after Jedi came out. The Cartoon Network shows and novels have kept the franchise going after the last set of movies so there hasn't been a second Dark Times. (And the Lego shows are hysterical.) I'd also say that the amount of merchandise you find in stores that Star Wars is still mainstream nearly 10 years after the last major film. This was without Disney's involvement. All Disney is doing is keeping that momentum going with a new trilogy, two spin offs and a new animated series. They've also shown they are putting an effort into this venture. They've brought in quality filmmakers and animators for these ventures. Yes they're going to make money off the investment but they're not just slapping the Star Wars label on a junk pile and reaping in the money.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Come on, Star Wars has been capitalizing on bit players since the beginning. Boba Fett and Wicket anyone? The success of the EU was proof that there was still a demand for Star Wars nearly a decade after Jedi came out. The Cartoon Network shows and novels have kept the franchise going after the last set of movies so there hasn't been a second Dark Times. (And the Lego shows are hysterical.) I'd also say that the amount of merchandise you find in stores that Star Wars is still mainstream nearly 10 years after the last major film. This was without Disney's involvement. All Disney is doing is keeping that momentum going with a new trilogy, two spin offs and a new animated series. They've also shown they are putting an effort into this venture. They've brought in quality filmmakers and animators for these ventures. Yes they're going to make money off the investment but they're not just slapping the Star Wars label on a junk pile and reaping in the money.

The product had been diluted since the phantom movie...
I know I'm a purist and their are newer fans...but I'm not buying that what had been done for 10-15 years has "strengthened" a franchise that profits off Chinese merchandise.

Disney parks in many ways mirrors the Star Wars franchise... Sales and profits do not justify the means or end the argument.

Little fanboy creeping in here...me thinks

 

[Silock]

I'm having a hard time seeing how Disney could make any of these franchises worse than Lucas left them.

Episodes 1-3 were awful, comparatively (although, I still like them in a small way). Crystal Skull? Terrible, awful, no-good, very bad thing.

It can really only go up from there, no matter how much we idolize the original trilogies.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I'm having a hard time seeing how Disney could make any of these franchises worse than Lucas left them.

Episodes 1-3 were awful, comparatively (although, I still like them in a small way). Crystal Skull? Terrible, awful, no-good, very bad thing.

It can really only go up from there, no matter how much we idolize the original trilogies.

Yeah but they need to shoot way past that for longterm stability...

I worry about... Ironically... The Avengers

People acting like it was citizen Kane and reveling at its big haul of overpriced tickets...

It was a good comic movie no doubt... But not the Nolan batman films nor close to the original Star Wars and Indy films.

Truth.
I worry the standards now are so pitifully low that the "force" is gone forever.

JJ Abrams scares me a little on that.
His comic book take on Star Trek has worked... That will not enhance Star Wars.

They need to make the new material with 30 year olds in mind...not 14 year olds.
That is the only chance to mend the fences that uncle George pimped out for two bits.

 

[Silock]

It was a good comic movie no doubt... But not the Nolan batman films nor close to the original Star Wars and Indy films.

It wasn't supposed to be like the Nolan films. They were going more for of a family vibe than Nolan did. Avengers was good in its own right. You're absolutely right that it is no SW or Indy. But that is a REALLY lofty standard to which you're holding it.

I worry the standards now are so pitifully low that the "force" is gone forever.

Maybe. OTOH, perhaps one day, a director will come along that revitalizes the SW franchise in the same way Nolan did for Batman. It could happen eventually.

They need to make the new material with 30 year olds in mind...not 14 year olds.

As long as they're done well, they could have widespread appeal, certainly enough for 30 year olds and 14 year olds alike. But, I would like them to err on the side of the older "kids" (us childish 30-35 year olds!) if they were going to err on one side. I've had enough with the kids SW. They have their own already with the Clone Wars cartoons.

 

[quikah]

The product had been diluted since the phantom movie...
I know I'm a purist and their are newer fans...but I'm not buying that what had been done for 10-15 years has "strengthened" a franchise that profits off Chinese merchandise.

Disney parks in many ways mirrors the Star Wars franchise... Sales and profits do not justify the means or end the argument.

Little fanboy creeping in here...me thinks

The product has been diluted since Jedi. 2 ewok movies and a cartoon featuring R2-D2 and C3-PO...

I will let the Holiday Special slide as Lucas has disowned that from the beginning (he had no involvement really).

As bad as 1-3? No, but it definitely was the start of the slide downhill.

The first EU novel was released in 1978.

 

[Twin Dad]

Yeah but they need to shoot way past that for longterm stability...

I worry about... Ironically... The Avengers

People acting like it was citizen Kane and reveling at its big haul of overpriced tickets...

It was a good comic movie no doubt... But not the Nolan batman films nor close to the original Star Wars and Indy films.

Truth.
I worry the standards now are so pitifully low that the "force" is gone forever.

JJ Abrams scares me a little on that.
His comic book take on Star Trek has worked... That will not enhance Star Wars.

They need to make the new material with 30 year olds in mind...not 14 year olds.
That is the only chance to mend the fences that uncle George pimped out for two bits.

Not everything has to be like Nolan's Batman films. I like that the Avengers and the spin offs have been more of a fantasy element and are more kid friendly.

I like Abrams as the choice for director. He did a great job of reviving Star Trek. I've mentioned to friends the reboots are Star Wars with nacelles. Which isn't much of a surprise since he is a Star Wars fan first. In interviews he has talked about getting back to the original trilogy. At the same time he's mentioned there are two generations of Star Wars fans and there has to be a balance to keep both happy. I know that's probably not the answer you're looking for but its the truth of the matter. Meaning the next Trilogy will have more of an Avengers or Star Trek feel than a Nolan Batman feel.

 

[Twin Dad]

The product has been diluted since Jedi. 2 ewok movies and a cartoon featuring R2-D2 and C3-PO...

I will let the Holiday Special slide as Lucas has disowned that from the beginning (he had no involvement really).

As bad as 1-3? No, but it definitely was the start of the slide downhill.

The first EU novel was released in 1978.

You forgot the ill fated Ewoks animated series and the Marvel comics. Also, were there an novels between the end of Jedi and Heir to the Empire? I don't remember any.

 

[JoWiJo]

I worry the standards now are so pitifully low that the "force" is gone forever.

JJ Abrams scares me a little on that.

I'm concerned that he'll obliterate the Millennium Falcon or disintegrate Artoo in a clichéd attempt to end a science fiction movie with a tearjerker of a bittersweet ending.

I realize that no one and nothing lasts forever, and that there is a decent chance that a major character from Episodes IV-VI that is still alive could die in a sequel. But having a sacrificial ending to a major icon like those two I specifically mentioned is the kind of story-telling technique that's been overdone in movies since it was used to tell Star Trek III, when the Enterprise self-destructed.

At that time (1984), it was a powerful and compelling move. I wasn't into Star Trek all that much at the time, but I understood why that was so profound and affected Trekkers so deeply. But I've since seen that kind of stuff enough times now that it's lost its impact and has become, for me, bad and unoriginal screenplay. Now since Abrams was willing to direct the 2009 Trek movie where the original canon itself was essentially rewritten by destroying Vulcan, I am worried that he'll pull a similar stunt in Star Wars Episode VII (sans the time travel).

The stunning death of a hero, I can handle. Even Skywalker. But IMO the Falcon should stick around until it simply needs decommissioned due to age. Same goes with Artoo. But if the franchise makes it to Episode IX, my guess is that one or both of these will be bits and pieces so long as Abrams is at the helm.

 

[Twin Dad]

I'm concerned that he'll obliterate the Millennium Falcon or disintegrate Artoo in a clichéd attempt to end a science fiction movie with a tearjerker of a bittersweet ending.

I realize that no one and nothing lasts forever, and that there is a decent chance that a major character from Episodes IV-VI that is still alive could die in a sequel. But having a sacrificial ending to a major icon like those two I specifically mentioned is the kind of story-telling technique that's been overdone in movies since it was used to tell Star Trek III, when the Enterprise self-destructed.

At that time (1984), it was a powerful and compelling move. I wasn't into Star Trek all that much at the time, but I understood why that was so profound and affected Trekkers so deeply. But I've since seen that kind of stuff enough times now that it's lost its impact and has become, for me, bad and unoriginal screenplay. Now since Abrams was willing to direct the 2009 Trek movie where the original canon itself was essentially rewritten by destroying Vulcan, I am worried that he'll pull a similar stunt in Star Wars Episode VII (sans the time travel).

The stunning death of a hero, I can handle. Even Skywalker. But IMO the Falcon should stick around until it simply needs decommissioned due to age. Same goes with Artoo. But if the franchise makes it to Episode IX, my guess is that one or both of these will be bits and pieces so long as Abrams is at the helm.

I hear you. I think the droids are safe. They have been in all 6 movies and are basically the story tellers. The Falcon is a bit more is doubt. According
to legend the Falcon was supposed to have been blown up at the end of Jedi. Viewers watching test screenings were so up in arms an alternate ending was made at the 11th hour saving the Falcon. I think Abrams would be smart to keep the Falcon (mostly) in one piece.

I agree that I could live with a major character dying more than the iconic droids or ships. Supposedly this trilogy is supposed to be a changing of the guard. If that's the case I could see any or all of the Big 3 not making through Episode IX. Only character I would like to see untouched is Wedge. After taking down two Death Stars and more Imperials and other bad guys than anyone can count he's earned a peaceful end.