Disney CEO Says Fox’s Movies Were Failing Before The Merger

Disney CEO Bob Iger is pretty blunt about the 21st Century Fox's status before the company was acquired by the Walt Disney Company.

It's been a while since Disney completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox's various film and television assets, and despite its best efforts, Fox's films like X-Men: Dark Phoenix failed spectacularly at the box office.

Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, Iger decided to open up about the status of Fox's assets before Disney came in to purchase the company. According to the Disney Big Wig, Fox's movies weren't doing well even before the deal between the companies was completed.

"It wasn't a slap-down," Iger told the publication, "It was an admission that the movies that they had made failed. And I actually gave then a tremendous amount of cover by saying that when companies are bought, processes and decision making can come to a halt."

Despite the failings of the X-Men franchise and other major Fox movies, Iger believes that Fox IPs can make a turn around with the right banner. Given the right talent and the right strategy, Iger believes that Fox movies can still win.

"There were problems at that studio well before the deal was announced." Iger continued. "But the reason I did not believe that it was something we should be concerned about is that it's a short-term problem. And with the talent that we have at our studio, that are now supervising with some of their executives all the movies that they decide to make and how they are made, I'm convinced that the turnaround can happen. It's not a snap of your fingers, but it's not 10 years of lost value. It's a year and a half."

What fans are most excited to see is the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool, and all of Fox's other mutants, to head over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It may take some time though, seeing how Marvel is still preoccupied with Phase 4 and Phase 5 of the franchise. There is speculation that Marvel may try to set up the introduction of the X-Men with films like The Eternals and Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, but we have to wait and see.

Phase 4 of the MCU begins with Black Widow which is set to premiere on May 1, 2020.

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