Disney looks to reclaim Gen Z boys as streaming habits shift

Disney once owned the cultural conversation with Marvel and “Star Wars.” But a few years after “Endgame,” it’s losing its grip, especially with Gen Z boys and young men.

Less time is spent watching Disney content, and more is spent gaming, scrolling TikTok or streaming YouTube. Industry insiders tell Variety Disney is aware of the shift and is scrambling to win them back.

Disney was at the peak of its powers in 2019 when “Avengers: Endgame” was released. That film earned $2.79 billion at the global box office, briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. The same year brought other big releases like “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” followed by the debut of Disney+ in November.

Superhero fatigue sets in

The Marvel Cinematic Universe didn’t slow down after “Endgame,” but fans say it started to lose direction. A Reddit user commented:

“The films after Endgame (with the exception of Spider-Man) feel lost,” one Redditor wrote. “There is no cohesive narrative binding the films together.”

One replied with, “There’s no sense of ‘this is where we’re going.’ It feels like they’re throwing crap at the wall and seeing what sticks… They really screwed up with this post-Endgame phase.”

Newer titles like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” and “The Marvels” brought mixed reviews and disappointing ticket sales. “The Marvels” became the lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time, bringing in $206 million globally against an estimated $374 million spent.

More recently, the franchise reboot of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” was underwhelming. Despite high expectations, the film brought in roughly $473 million at the box office — another sign that legacy titles aren’t enough to win back audiences.

Gen Z isn’t showing up

While some of these films performed decently, many insiders believe they failed to connect with Gen Z audiences. Variety reports that Walt Disney Studios has been actively seeking new content that will bring back Gen Z men, defined here as ages 13 to 28.

Yet the challenge may not just be young men. Gen Z overall seems less invested in Disney content.

According to Nielsen, YouTube has been the number one streaming platform in the United States for two consecutive years. Viewers now watch more than 1 billion hours of YouTube per day on their TVs.

Meanwhile, a 2023 Samba TV report found that 59% of Gen Zers spend their time on Netflix, compared to just 5% on Disney+.

Searching for a new spark

Streaming habits are only part of the story. Disney insiders told Variety the company has lacked breakout, fan-driven franchises like “Pirates of the Caribbean” in recent years. Former Searchlight Pictures co-head David Greenbaum has reportedly been tasked with bringing back young male viewers.

This task may be more complicated than simply launching new characters.

A 2024 study by National Research Group (NRG) found that 43% of young men aged 13 to 30 feel uncertain about what it means to be a man in today’s world. Nearly 47% say they look to fictional characters, public figures or celebrities for role models.

That’s why some experts believe the issue isn’t just about superhero fatigue, but about identity.

“If you go back to the 1960s, for example, you can see the way in which a lot of the depictions of masculinity of that era were very much informed by the countercultural energy of the time,” Fergus Navaratnam-Blair, research director for NRG’s trends and futures team, told Straight Arrow News in June. “Films like Easy Rider and Taxi Driver and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest all grapple with these questions of how you can sort of defy the shackles of traditional social norms and traditional sources of authority.”

Straight Arrow News recently explored this shift in a series exploring the crisis of masculinity in young men.

“You don’t necessarily see one concrete vision of ‘this is what masculinity is in Hollywood,’” Navaratnam-Blair said. “In 2025, you see different actors, different entertainment brands playing with that concept in different ways and pushing it in different directions.

What’s next for Disney?

Disney may be looking to other studios for inspiration. Warner Bros. Discovery found success with its live-action “Minecraft” adaptation, grossing $955 million and striking a chord with Gen Z audiences. Similarly, Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” earned $1.36 billion in 2023, proving that video game IP can fuel box office hits.

But Disney’s path isn’t so simple. Unlike its competitors, the company doesn’t own globally recognized gaming franchises like Mario or Minecraft. Most of its character-driven content started in film, making it harder to flip that formula in reverse.

Still, Disney has options. Projects like “Epic Mickey” or even reboots like “Tron” could give familiar characters new energy for younger audiences. There have been rumors that Disney could even be developing a “Kingdom Hearts” movie.