For as much as MCU fans don't want to admit it, there is a lot of content being churned out. Disney CEO Bob Iger has recently discussed this and was honest about the MCU's increased output and its impact on fans.

Speaking to CNBC, Iger — who just re-upped his deal as CEO of Disney for two more years — spoke about the uptick in Disney productions and its impact on the box office profits. It was just earlier this year that Iger discussed Disney's plan to cut back on costs, and Iger said, “You pull back not just to focus, but also as part of our cost containment initiative. Spending less on what we make, and making less.”

He then discussed Marvel and the MCU specifically. “Marvel is a great example of that. It had not been in the television business at any significant level, and not only did they increase their movie output, but they ended up making a number of TV series,” Iger said.

“Frankly, it diluted focus and attention,” Iger said in a brutally honest admission.

The MCU has been increasingly crowding release calendars over the past few years. 2021 saw four theatrical releases (Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home) and 2022 had three theatrical releases (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda), all three of which were sequels. Looking ahead, there will be three theatrical releases in 2023 (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels) and 2024 alike.

All of that is fine and dandy, but then you consider the MCU series. Since kicking off the Disney+ era, the MCU released eight series in Phase Four and will have seven when Phase Five (a few of which are second seasons) is all said and done. There are still a ton of others that have yet to go into production or are in the midst of it as well that will be released over the next few years.

Regardless, Bob Iger is onto something as 2023's box office hauls for the MCU films haven't been great. Ant-Man 3 made less than the first film in the trilogy, making just $463 million worldwide, however, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 did fare a lot better with $839 million worldwide.  But some of the 2021 films like Shang-Chi, Eternals, and Black Widow all disappointed. Black Widow didn't even make $400 million, and Shang-Chi, the highest-grossing of those three films, made just $432 million worldwide (less than 2011's Thor). Maybe a “less is more” approach would fare well for MCU fans and moviegoers alike.