Hollywood in general, and Disney in particular, has spent the last decade taking beloved movies and turning them into vehicles for feminist woke nonsense. From Indiana Jones to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), every story had to have a girl-boss or two saving the day and telling the men what to do.
Now that box offices are hemorrhaging cash and audiences are turning away, Disney is hoping to win back young men.
Leadership at Disney is pressing Hollywood creatives for movies that will bring young men (ages 13-28, aka Gen Z) back to the brand in a meaningful way, specifically original concepts.
— Variety (@Variety) August 21, 2025
Sources say Disney has been seeking new IP and pitches such as splashy global adventures and… pic.twitter.com/oXKu6nDfF5
Leadership at Walt Disney Studios has been pressing Hollywood creatives in recent months, multiple sources tell Variety, for movies that will bring young men back to the brand in a meaningful way. “Young men” is defined here by sources as ages 13-28, aka Gen Z.
First, duh. Every film studio is looking for better ways to convert young audiences into habitual moviegoers. Numerous studies show that Gen Z men in particular are a lonely, gaming-obsessed group who were hampered in their formative years by COVID-19 lockdowns — not the easiest segment to grasp. But what’s surprising producers, writers and other partners in the larger industry is that Disney has been calling for original concepts to lure the demo back to the movies.
This is the same Disney whose multibillion-dollar content engines, Marvel and Lucasfilm, have sated men of all ages over almost two decades since the company acquired them. The sources say Disney has been seeking new IP and pitches such as splashy global adventures and treasure hunts, as well as seasonal fare like films for the Halloween corridor. The calls come as the Star Wars machine struggles to produce any film project and the superhero genre sheds audiences by the minute.
Recommended
It's very simple: make good movies with strong male characters.
Disney turning Star Wars (and Marvel) from a boy brand into a girl brand will prove to be the costliest decision in movie history. #MakeMarvelMaleAgain
— Chris Gore (@ThatChrisGore) August 21, 2025
It's been breathtakingly costly.
Turns out taking well established boys brands and shoving a bunch of women with male traits into it wasnt a winning strategy, as many of us pointed out at the time.
— John A. Douglas (@J0hnADouglas) August 21, 2025
But NOOOO, we were labeled toxic manbabies and told to f**k off.
Well we did.
And Now you want us back? Lol pic.twitter.com/OLp24XpMyg
Who knew?
Oh, that's right -- EVERYONE.
You have to LIKE young men in order to make content young men will enjoy.
— KeepCalmAndDrawl ☦️ (@FormerlyFormer) August 21, 2025
All the studies and market data and focus groups in the world will not help you if your org is run by those with an underlying contempt for men.
They do not like men, and therein lies the problem.
The VAST majority of "Hollywood creatives" have no idea what average young men want.
— Jim (@Ifitsthisname) August 21, 2025
Hollywood tends to shun the people who would get them.
Too bad John Milius had that stroke. Mamet is a choice. They should ask David Mamet.
The VAST majority.
This writer doubts they've ever spoken to a normal young man.
Disney turned two of the biggest male brands on the planet into modern audience, new age s**t shows, and then attacked their fan bases for not liking the changes.
— Tar Heel Joe (@FormerModerate) August 21, 2025
What did they expect would happen? 🤷♂️
They thought women would turn out in droves for these movies.
This writer can tell you, as a cinephile and MCU fan, that what she liked about the MCU was the same things that drew men to the movies -- big action sequences, hot female heroes, and strong male characters.
So Disney is admitting DEI is a failure.
— WhiskeySilverball (@WhiskeySlvrBall) August 21, 2025
They sure are.
Free advice for Disney to bring young men:
— Zackary Russell (@ztrussell) August 21, 2025
Step 1: Fire everyone that hates men.
Step 2: Make stories exactly like this: https://t.co/oEvxYxL8HZ pic.twitter.com/rytzLVxHKc
Easy-peasy.
A decade of "The Force is female" and "we don't need you," and they wonder why men don't like their movies.
— Rob from Jersey (@NewJersey_Rob) August 21, 2025
Do they really not know or are they just being deliberately obtuse? https://t.co/uLrpPyxdgx
They really do not know. They think the rest of the world feels the same way as they do.
Gee, what happened? https://t.co/ouh0AlzHxr pic.twitter.com/9iKZRW3Oeq
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) August 21, 2025
Total mystery.
Disney - Spends a decade methodically emasculating and destroying every male hero in every franchise they own.
— The Critical Drinker (@TheCriticalDri2) August 21, 2025
Also Disney - "Hey, why don't men like us anymore?" https://t.co/46s3eRWnvU
That's exactly what's happened.
It is kind of amazing that the company that owns the rights to Star Wars and Marvel comics is lamenting, "how do we attract young male moviegoers?" https://t.co/eMq8h2wuYy
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) August 21, 2025
It really is amazing.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member