In a stunning turn of events, Disney is grappling with a crisis that has sent its cornerstone franchises, Marvel and Star Wars, into a tailspin. Industry reports and media outlets are pointing fingers at a surprising culprit: Generation Z men, aged 13 to 28, who have largely abandoned the theatergoing habit that once fueled these billion-dollar brands. As Disney’s boy-centric franchises plummet, with box office receipts and fan engagement at historic lows, the House of Mouse is scrambling to understand why its once-unstoppable properties are failing to resonate with the very demographic they were designed to capture. The fallout has sparked heated debates about storytelling, cultural shifts, and Disney’s strategic missteps, raising questions about whether the studio can reclaim its dominance or if Marvel and Star Wars are doomed to fade into irrelevance.

A Shocking Decline for Iconic Franchises

Disney’s acquisition of Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012 was heralded as a masterstroke, securing two of the most male-skewing, fan-driven franchises in entertainment history. Marvel’s Iron Man (2008) and The Avengers (2012) redefined superhero cinema, with the latter grossing $1.5 billion globally, while Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) shattered records with $2.07 billion worldwide. These films, built on action, adventure, and iconic male heroes, were catnip for young men, a demographic Disney leaned into heavily. Fast forward to 2025, and the picture is grim. The domestic box office for 2025 is projected to limp to $8.8 billion, barely matching 2024’s lackluster performance and far below 2018’s $11.4 billion peak. Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, despite a promising $118 million domestic debut, fizzled to $217 million globally, while Star Wars hasn’t had a theatrical release since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, which grossed a disappointing $1.07 billion compared to its predecessors.

The collapse is evident in more than just ticket sales. Merchandise sales for Marvel and Star Wars have cratered, with Hasbro reporting a 17% drop in partner brand revenue in Q3 2024, as unsold action figures pile up at discount retailers. Disney+ viewership for Star Wars series like The Acolyte plummeted 30–80% from The Mandalorian’s billion-minute peak, with The Acolyte canceled after one season despite 2.7 billion minutes viewed. Social media buzz, once a reliable driver of hype, has turned sour, with hashtags like #MakeMarvelMaleAgain and #StarWarsIsDead reflecting a growing sense of disillusionment among fans, particularly young men.

Why Gen Z Men Are Turning Away

The media narrative pins much of the blame on Gen Z men, a demographic defined by its gaming obsession and disrupted social habits due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Unlike Millennials, who grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS and flocked to Marvel’s Infinity Saga, Gen Z men are less habitual moviegoers. Studies suggest they spend more time on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Discord, engaging with short-form content and video games like Fortnite and Minecraft. Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie capitalized on this, grossing nearly $1 billion globally in 2025 by tapping into nostalgia for a game Gen Z played as kids, complete with viral TikTok moments that drove young men to theaters.

Disney’s failure to connect with this group stems from several factors. First, the studio’s shift toward female-led stories and diverse casting, while praised for inclusivity, has alienated a portion of its core male audience. Marvel’s Captain Marvel (2019, $1.1 billion) and Star Wars’ The Last Jedi (2017, $1.3 billion) positioned characters like Carol Danvers and Rey as central figures, often at the expense of legacy male heroes like Luke Skywalker, who was reimagined as a disillusioned recluse. Social media backlash, amplified by voices decrying “woke” storytelling, has painted Disney as dismissive of the young male fans who once idolized Iron Man and Han Solo. While films like Rogue One (2016, $1 billion) and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024, $1.3 billion) proved male-driven stories can still succeed, Disney’s recent output has leaned heavily on narratives that feel less relatable to this demographic.

Second, the oversaturation of Marvel and Star Wars content on Disney+ has diluted their theatrical allure. The Mandalorian was a cultural phenomenon in 2019, racking up 791 million minutes watched in its first week, but subsequent series like The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka failed to maintain that momentum. The MCU’s post-Endgame slate introduced 57 new characters in just a few years, overwhelming audiences with convoluted multiverse plots and Disney+ shows that feel like homework. Gen Z men, already skeptical of long-term commitments to serialized storytelling, have largely tuned out, preferring standalone experiences like A Minecraft Movie or Universal’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which sparked the viral “Gentleminions” trend among young men in 2022.

Finally, Disney’s reliance on sequels and reboots has backfired. Films like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023, $383 million on a $300 million budget) and Snow White (2025, $43 million domestic debut) have been savaged for lackluster storytelling and controversial changes, further eroding trust. The absence of bold, original IP tailored to young men has left Disney trailing competitors like Warner Bros., whose Sinners ($275 million domestically) and F1 ($600 million globally) resonated with Gen Z’s appetite for gritty, high-energy stories.

Disney’s Desperate Pivot

Faced with this crisis, Disney is racing to course-correct. Studio leadership, under CEO Bob Iger and new live-action head David Greenbaum, is reportedly seeking original IP to lure Gen Z men back to theaters. The mandate, which echoes Disney’s late-1990s push for male-driven films like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet (both box office disappointments), calls for “splashy global adventures” and “treasure hunts” to recapture the spirit of Pirates of the Caribbean. Greenbaum, alongside former Paramount executive Daria Cercek, is tasked with developing projects that appeal to the 13–28 demographic, a group described as gaming-obsessed and socially isolated due to pandemic-era disruptions.

The pivot comes as Disney acknowledges its strategic missteps. Iger has publicly emphasized the need for “great movies” over agenda-driven content, a tacit admission that the studio’s focus on inclusivity may have alienated its core audience. The cancellation of The Acolyte and the underperformance of The Fantastic Four: First Steps ($217 million globally) have underscored the risks of prioritizing messaging over storytelling. Disney’s $1.5 billion stake in Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, signals a broader strategy to tap into gaming culture, though the studio missed out on film rights that could have produced a Gen Z-friendly blockbuster.

Internally, the pressure is on Marvel’s Kevin Feige and Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy to deliver. Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) are seen as make-or-break moments for the MCU, with RDJ’s return as Doctor Doom generating buzz but also skepticism due to reported on-set tensions with co-stars like Pedro Pascal. Star Wars, meanwhile, is banking on The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026) to revive theatrical interest, but the absence of a clear plan since The Rise of Skywalker has left fans wary. Social media posts lamenting Disney’s handling of Luke Skywalker and the X-Men reflect a deeper distrust that new projects must overcome.

The Stakes for Disney

The collapse of Marvel and Star Wars’ appeal among Gen Z men has far-reaching implications. Financially, Disney’s brand value dropped 5.6% to $46.72 billion in 2025, reflecting the toll of underperforming franchises. Theater chains, reliant on blockbuster traffic, face mounting pressure as audiences dwindle, with premium ticket prices ($25 in major cities) further deterring young men. Merchandise and theme park revenue, once bolstered by Star Wars’ Galaxy’s Edge and Marvel tie-ins, are also suffering, with the $250 million Galactic Starcruiser experience shuttered after massive losses.

Creatively, Disney faces a dilemma. The studio’s push for original IP risks repeating past failures like Treasure Planet ($109 million on a $140 million budget), especially if it prioritizes demographic targeting over compelling storytelling. Fans on platforms like Reddit argue that Disney must return to the universal appeal of early MCU films or the original Star Wars trilogy, which resonated with young men not through pandering but through authentic, high-stakes narratives. The success of A Minecraft Movie proves that Gen Z men will show up for stories that tap into their passions, but Disney’s current slate—dominated by sequels like Zootopia 2 and Avatar 3—lacks that spark.

Can Disney Win Back Gen Z Men?

The road to recovery is fraught but not impossible. Disney’s historical successes, from The Lion King to Iron Man, show that universal storytelling, not demographic checkboxes, drives box office wins. A new X-Men film, rumored for 2028 with a young, diverse cast, could be a game-changer if it captures the mutants’ gritty, relatable essence. Similarly, a Star Wars project that balances nostalgia with bold new characters—think a space opera led by a charismatic male hero—could rekindle excitement. Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean reboot, potentially featuring Johnny Depp, is another opportunity to deliver the high-octane adventure Gen Z craves.

However, the studio must navigate a fractured fandom. Social media campaigns accusing Disney of “woke” overreach have amplified distrust, while others argue that quality, not ideology, is the issue. Posts on X highlight the need for “strong, stoic, badass” male heroes, echoing George Lucas’ advice to target 12-year-old boys with Star Wars. Disney’s challenge is to craft stories that feel authentic without alienating its broader audience, a delicate balance after years of polarizing choices.

A Make-or-Break Moment

Disney’s boy brand crisis is a wake-up call. Marvel and Star Wars, once cultural juggernauts, are bleeding fans, with Gen Z men leading the exodus. The studio’s pivot to original IP and renewed focus on young male audiences is a high-stakes gamble, one that could either revive its franchises or cement their decline. As Avengers: Doomsday and The Mandalorian & Grogu loom, Disney must rediscover the magic that made its brands iconic: stories that thrill, inspire, and unite. Whether the House of Mouse can win back the boys who once filled theaters remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the galaxy far, far away and the superhero universe are at a crossroads, and Disney’s next moves will shape their fate for a generation.