Is Disney Helplessly Out of Touch With Its Post-Pandemic Audience?

The Disney name was once unanimously equated to success. It was the pinnacle model of how to run a business right. Companies used to utilize Disney’s methods to teach their employees how to be prosperous. In fact, almost everything the entertainment giant touched turned to gold. This certainly seems to have hit a wall in the post-pandemic world. Disney is out of touch with its new audience, and it might mostly have itself to blame. Let’s discuss what has gone wrong with Disney and whether it can be fixed.

Brave New World

The concept of going to a movie theater has changed since Covid-19, and it has nothing to do with the disease anymore. Families tend to need more justification to commit to a cinema experience. There are several reasons for this, but one major one is the price. Statista estimates that ticket prices have increased by over 11% in just half a decade. What used to be a slightly less expensive endeavor can now cost a family of four anywhere from $40 to $70 easily after taxes, fees, and depending on the day. Major companies like AMC Theaters have largely shifted away from or severely limited cheap ticket offerings, giving moviegoers fewer options to go to the cinema.

This cost dilemma also extends to the Disney theme parks. The company has continued raising prices for everything surrounding its Resort offerings. Many families now find themselves priced out of the experience or cannot justify the expenses needed to make the vacation worthwhile.

The price isn’t the only hurdle Disney is now facing. The company also shot itself in the foot when it brought its Disney+ streaming service to the market. It has effectively trained its fans to expect new releases to hit Disney+ only a few months after theaters. Audiences are more patient when it comes to movies as they largely went for long stretches of time without anything new to watch during the height of the pandemic. If something doesn’t truly justify the cost of going to the theater, many people will simply wait it out. This, in turn, has also lessened the draw of repeat viewings, as the films are usually in their homes for the cost of a subscription before the urge to see them again takes hold.

You can see this effect in real-time by looking at Pixar Studios releases. Toy Story 4 made $1.073 billion globally at the box office in 2019. Incredibles 2 broke $1 billion as well, and even Coco hit almost $800 million in 2017. However, last year’s Lightyear barely broke $200 million. Elemental is also struggling to capture any heat at the box office. The studio had several major releases on streaming between these films, and audiences are more inclined to wait for them now, especially when they are not certain of the appeal.

Nostalgia Can Only Get Disney So Far

Nostalgia is a powerful tool, but excess use eventually causes diminishing returns. The TikTok video below has gone viral because it reminds people of cherished memories from Disney classics. When the company first started releasing sequels or live-action versions of these movies, fans embraced them with open arms. However, now they approach them with apprehension, as Disney has either treaded entirely on their childhood (such as with fan opinions of the Disney Star Wars trilogy) or has simply been unimaginative in their retellings (such as the recent Peter Pan and Wendy).

@jfreeman1022

Damn this brought back so many memories😭 #fyp #disney #disneymovies #dvd #olddisney

♬ original sound – Jess

Certain releases have left fans unfulfilled or questioning the justification for the offering’s existence. Lucasfilm seemed completely sure of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, so much so that they allowed the budget to become insanely high. The film failed to do anything spectacular on its long opening weekend and now faces an obscene box office disaster if something doesn’t turn it around.

Variety recently spoke with Josh Spiegel, a freelance film critic who has hit the nail on the head. “Disney desperately needs to create something new,” he told them. “It does a good job at cannibalizing itself. They remake their movies and echo what they’ve done in the past. At a certain point, there won’t be much for them to echo.”

To Disney’s credit, they might have something special coming at the end of the year. Its Wish film is exactly what the company should aim to do. It is a completely original idea with a unique animation style, but it celebrates the 100-year history of the company. This allows for nostalgia while also not seeming stale.

Disney is Out of Touch with Its Audiences

The Walt Disney Company has been caught in a culture war in the post-pandemic world. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has started a war with the House of Mouse, molding the narrative around it to one of child grooming and pushing a progressive social agenda.

Disney’s newer films have contained more representation in terms of its characters, but this has not sat well with everyone. Halle Bailey taking up the mantle of Ariel in the live-action Little Mermaid sent ripples through social media, and a recent nonbinary character in Elemental caused further chaos. Some conservative audiences have largely stepped away from Disney, focusing instead on offerings like Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros Movie.

On the other hand, many of the fans on the other side of the fence have felt the company hasn’t committed enough to promoting diversity and is simply pandering to them. The previously mentioned nonbinary character in Elemental barely says a word and is largely a “blink, and you’ll miss it” situation. This is the same for many of these more controversial LGBTQ+ characters. The recent success of Nimona on Netflix shows that movies can still succeed with these themes at the forefront. However, Disney is rumored to have scrapped its hold on the film for this exact reason. This does nothing to prove commitment to the progressive agenda that the company is trying to convey. In trying to please both sides, Disney pleases no one.

Can Disney Turn It Around?

The Walt Disney Company is not so deep in the hole that it can’t climb out. However, it will take some time before the effects of its decisions take hold. Paul Verna, a principal analyst at Insider Intelligence, told Variety that Disney’s decisions now will most likely not make a noticeable difference until 2026 and further out. The inflated budgets wracked up by films like Indiana Jones 5 incorporate many costs from the onset of the pandemic, and future films will not have this burden. However, the company will have to make some large financial decisions and evolve its creative strategies to get back on track truly.

As noted above, Disney still does have a potential wild card with Wish in November. If the film is a hit, it might be able to roll with the year’s losses with a slightly intact reputation. However, the company must do some major soul-searching to enter a new renaissance.