Disney D23 Takeaway: With ‘X-Men’, ‘Tangled’, ‘Incredibles 3’ & More, Movie Studio Poised To Slay In 2028
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- Disney confirmed seven 2028 titles including X-Men (May 5), Incredibles 3 (June 16), and Black Panther 3 (Dec. 15), with 14 dates total in the Rentrak system — a slate that could rival the studio's $13.15B global box office record from 2019.
- Marvel placed three films in 2028 — X-Men, Ghost Rider, and Black Panther 3 — directly countering the 'superhero fatigue' narrative, with one Disney executive citing Spider-Man: Brand New Day's $1.8B+ success: 'It's not about IP, it's about making great movies.'
- X-Men casts Adam Driver, Inde Navarrette, Christopher Abbott, and Samara Weaving under Kevin Feige's oversight; Hugh Jackman beamed in at D23 but will not reprise Wolverine.
- Live-action Tangled (March 31, 2028) and Lilo & Stitch 2 (May 28, 2028) anchor a live-action slate that includes a punk-rock Cruella 2 with Emma Stone and a Beauty and the Beast-verse title called Gaston, even after Moana's sub-$300M global run.
- Animated sequels are spaced 8-12 years apart: Frozen 3 hits Nov. 24, 2027 with a new 'Frozen Heart' song, Incredibles 3 arrives 10 years after its predecessor, and Coco 2 follows a 12-year gap in November 2029.
- Original Walt Disney Animation's 'Hexed' brings Walton Goggins, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jodie Foster (her first Disney animated voice role) for a Thanksgiving release.
- Avatar received no D23 mention; Avatar 4 (Dec. 21, 2029) and Avatar 5 (Dec. 19, 2031) remain on the calendar after the threequel's $1.48B — the franchise's lowest-grossing entry.
Why it matters: Disney is making a high-stakes bet that the 'superhero fatigue' narrative is officially dead by placing three MCU titles in a single year — and using Spider-Man: Brand New Day's $1.8B+ run as proof. If half of these seven 2028 titles clear $1B, the studio could eclipse its own $13.15B global record from 2019.
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