Recently, Disney CEO Bob Iger made statements hinting that Walt Disney Studios would eliminate its media repertoire, pull Marvel sequels, and even halt some Lucasfilm spinoffs…but will that business move now have a impact on its live-action franchises and sequels like Aladdin 2?
In the early days of Disney, animators jumped from story to story, never thinking of revisiting some of their greatest hits. Indeed, it wasn’t until the DisneyToon era of the post-Renaissance era that Disney tried to capitalize on previous successes through an often lower budget, straight to VHS sequels, prequels, and spin-off series. .
Credit: Variety
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Since then, a massive demand has developed for new content that spans pre-existing and often nostalgic franchises. From the biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+, to Star Wars Story movies, and even a resurgence of more and more additions to Frozen, Toy Story, and TRON.
Additionally, following the positive response to Maleficent (2014), the company began experimenting with reimagining some of their classic storylines in new or unique ways, often with a huge budget to accommodate the animation transition. hand drawn live action screen. For example, Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin (2019) starring Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Nasim Pedrad and Mena Massoud performed so well from the company’s perspective that it ordered both a spin-off streaming service series and a second film for 2025.
Credit: Disney
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What’s more, the film’s director even expressed his excitement to return to the all-new world of Agrabah, alongside writers John Gatins and Andrea Berloff. Of course, as the first live-action grossed $1.5 billion when it hit theaters despite mixed reviews, some sort of continuation of that popularity seemed inevitable.
However, the rise of streaming platforms like Disney+ during the Covid-19 lockdown has led to a difficult climate for the serial television and theatrical release industries, with pressure to constantly produce more in addition to content leading to producer and audience burnout. In fact, Disney’s CEO himself has questioned the need for every character to have a spin-off or sequel, and has reportedly even blocked production of future Star Wars movies and other Lucasfilm series like Willow to focus on quality rather than quantity. .
Credit: Disney
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While that meant pushing back premiere dates for some, despite the financial success at the box office, Collider has now signaled that Aladdin 2 needn’t be. Possibly to “diminish financial returns,” Massoud told fans that a sequel was “very unlikely at this point.”
Very unlikely at this stage
— Mena Massoud (@MenaMassoud) March 15, 2023
Fortunately, the 1992 original still has two direct-to-video sequels, Aladdin: Jafar’s Return (1994) and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) awaiting the fate of Aladdin 2.
