AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron is excited about Bob Iger’s return to Disney

Eric Grunwedel

November 21, 2022

According to Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest theater exhibitor, Disney CEO Bob Iger may turn his hand back, apparently renewed.

Iger was unexpectedly re-named Disney CEO on Sunday night, less than three years after retiring and handing over the position to Bob Chapek.

For Aron, Iger’s return marks a return to the halcyon days of 2019, when Disney dominated the global box office with $11 billion in ticket sales. Disney did it on the backs of no fewer than seven of the top 10 grossing films of that year. They included Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Toy Story 4, Frozen II, Captain Marvel, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, and Aladdin.

“Disney is the biggest director of any movie studio,” Aron tweeted. “Having Bob Iger back to lead Disney again as CEO is a big deal. Let me shout this from the mountaintop: I have the utmost respect for Bob Iger.”

While few believe any studio will ever again dominate the box office like Disney did that year, the studio has three films in this year’s Top 10, including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The company’s 20th Century Studios division is expected to get another blockbuster when the long-awaited sequel is released Avatar: The Way of Water will debut on December 16.

All of this is important to Aron, who sees an increase in concession sales and ticket revenue in the future. While the news boosted Disney shares, AMC Entertainment Holdings was down more than 4% in after-hours trading.

AMC posted a net loss of $226.9 million on revenue of $968.4 million in its most recent fiscal period.