The Disney directive

“Avengers: Infinity War” shattered box office records last weekend, with a domestic opening of $257 million.

The film now holds the record for biggest domestic debut of all time, beating “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which sat at $248 million and $220 million, respectively.

While “Infinity War” was produced by Marvel Studios, the more important note lies in its distribution — Walt Disney Studios.

Disney has now released 16 films crossing the $1 billion mark, and in 2016 passed $7 billion in worldwide yearly box-office gross.

In fact, nine of the 10 biggest domestic opening weekends of all time belong to Disney. The only exception on the list is “Jurassic World,” distributed by Universal Studios, sitting at No. 4.

Even if we’re just counting Marvel properties, there are more than 10 superhero films planned over the next five years.

And if we take a look at Disney’s other properties, the future is even more shocking. Between Pixar, Lucasfilm and Touchstone Pictures, their properties show no signs of slowing down.    

Avery Alexander | Argonaut

Disney is now a behemoth of a studio, a result of great decision making but also what is becoming a lack of competition. This stems from two issues — rushed deadlines and the inability to stand on even footing with the top dogs.

Aside from independent film festivals such as Sundance, there are few opportunities for smaller studios and first-time directors to establish themselves. Even the other studios part of the “Big Six” —  Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. Pictures and Universal Pictures — are struggling to keep up. If these larger studios are having trouble turning a profit, what hope do the rest have?

Many of these studios have been coasting on past success, with fewer upcoming projects planned.

20th Century Fox is a prime example of this. It’s highest grossing films have been the Star Wars and X-Men franchises, along with the James Cameron standalones “Avatar” and “Titanic.” And with the first two franchises now in the hands of Disney, and James Cameron taking almost a decade to make one film, they are left with very little.

Paramount seems to be riding on fumes, with “Transformers,” “Shrek,” “Indiana Jones” and “Mission Impossible” all on their last legs. But if the rumors are true and Guillermo del Toro is indeed directing the next “Star Trek,” it could very well be the resurgence the studio needs.

Universal’s main focus is now almost solely on their two blockbuster franchises, “Jurassic Park” and “Fast and Furious.” While there is no doubt that dinosaurs will remain trendy for years to come, how long can Vin Diesel milk his franchise? Or at the very least, how long until the cars take to space?

Lastly, we come to Warner Bros., the studio with the most tools at their disposal to dethrone Disney.

The “Harry Potter” franchise is widely considered to be not only one of the best coming-of-age stories, but also one of the best magical stories.

“The Dark Knight” trilogy is held in high regard, often considered the pinnacle of superhero movies.

But since then, we have been force-fed a series of mediocre DC movies, culminating in the lackluster “Justice League.”

This is just one example of a film pushed out on an incredibly rushed and tight deadline, when it’s evident it could have been truly great if given more time.

According to an article from The Wrap, the release was not pushed back because studio executives wanted to receive their bonuses that same year.

In regard to DC, the stakes are now even higher. If they are unable to produce another “Wonder Woman” and instead resort to “Suicide Squad 2,” there’s a good chance their audience will turn against them for good.

Instead of relying on dead-in-the-water franchises and former glory, it’s up to these studios to turn a new leaf. Be bold and try something new. Take a page from Marvel’s book and apply it to the DC Universe. Marvel movies are so appealing to the general audience because writing and character growth comes first. The script takes precedence over the CGI, and if done correctly, even superheroes can become relatable to everyday people.

For the sake of preventing a Disney takeover, studios such as Warner Bros. have to rise to the occasion and change their approach to film.

Bring your A game, not your D or C.

Max Rothenberg can be reached at [email protected]