BOB IGER: The Marvel Brand Is On Fire

Disney crushed expectations with its third quarter earnings, released after markets closed on Tuesday.

Chairman and CEO Bob Iger also pointed out what a big hit the company has in a Q4 movie: "Guardians of the Galaxy," which set a record with a $94 million domestic August weekend opening.

"We are thrilled with the spectacular performance of 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' which holds great promise as a new franchise for our company and once again reinforces the tremendous value of Marvel," Iger wrote in the earnings report.

Since buying Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, Disney's Marvel movies have earned over $4 billion at the box office and contributed much more through merchandise and related sales. According to Iger, this is just the start.

With "Guardians" already set for a 2017 sequel, Iger confirmed, "Our strategy of building strong brands and franchises continues to create great value across our company."

Appearing on CNBC, Iger explained the importance of the film's success: "It's not just about a good movie, it's about that the Marvel brand has arrived."

Iger continued:

"Guardians of the Galaxy and Marvel is a wonderful story. We believe that when we bought Marvel in 2009 they had great intellectual property, great characters, great stories, and a very talented group of people working for them.

"We did not think that a spot light had been put on the Marvel brand and we thought that the continue success in terms of producing movies and with Disney as a partner, and with them being apart of Disney that we could burnish the Marvel brand. We've done a good job of that. I don't mean to sound overly conceited about it, but I think 'Guardians of the Galaxy' speaks volumes in that regard."

Next up, Iger says, "We look ahead to 'Avengers 2' and 'Ant Man' and 'Captain America 3' and we just announced a sequel to 'Guardians' which will be in 2017 ... the studio is in great shape."