After decades of thrilling adventures, Indiana Jones may have finally met his match — not a villain, but Disney itself. Following the disappointing box office performance of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Lucasfilm has confirmed that the legendary archaeologist won’t be returning to theaters anytime soon.
End of an era? Indiana Jones is heading to the archives indefinitely
The legendary run of Harrison Ford’s whip-cracking archaeologist hit a somber crossroads in 2023. Following the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, a project that resulted in a significant financial blow to the Disney and Lucasfilm balance sheets, the studio is officially signaling that the franchise has reached its limit, at least for now.
In an interview with Deadline, departing Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that there are no active plans to resurrect the series or launch a reboot. While she acknowledged that a character as iconic as Indy never truly fades from the cultural zeitgeist, she admitted that there is currently zero appetite in the industry for further exploration.
“I don’t think Indy will ever be truly finished, but right now, there’s no appetite to pursue it,” Kennedy told Deadline when asked about a potential reboot. She also revealed that the 2023 sequel only happened because Ford himself was eager to bring the character back.
“Harrison wanted this more than anything,” Kennedy said. “He didn’t want Indy to end after the fourth film. He wanted one more adventure, and we gave him that opportunity. I believe it was the right move — he wanted to make that movie, and we honored that wish.”
Does Harrison have regrets about doing the fifth Indiana Jones film?
Despite the staggering financial shortfall of the franchise’s fifth outing, Ford remains remarkably unbothered by the box office numbers. Addressing the film’s commercial struggles in 2025 with his signature dry wit, Ford dismissed the drama with a simple “s*** happens,” doubling down on his pride in the project. For Ford, the decision to return wasn’t about the money—it was about finishing the story on his own terms.
As Kennedy said, Ford confirmed that he was the primary advocate for the most recent Indy movie, feeling that the character’s journey wasn’t quite complete after the fourth film.
“I was really the one who felt there was another story to tell,” the 83-year-old actor explained. “When [Indy] had suffered the consequences of the life that he had to live, I wanted one more chance to pick him up and shake the dust off his ass and stick him out there, bereft of some of his vigor, to see what happened. I’m still happy I made that movie.”
How big of a flop is 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny?
The journey toward the 2023 finale was paved with massive expectations and even larger expenses. Following 2008’s Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a film that pocketed over $700 million while simultaneously alienating a large portion of the fanbase, Disney and Lucasfilm sought to redeem the series. Instead, they walked directly into a financial booby trap.
Dial of Destiny stands as one of the most expensive gambles in Hollywood history, with a production budget that skyrocketed to a reported $419 million. Despite the massive investment, the film failed to cover its costs at the box office, pulling in a total global gross of only $384 million. After accounting for marketing and theater splits, the project left a massive hole in the studio’s wallet.
The film also took its biggest creative risk by introducing a time travel element that pushed the franchise beyond its traditional archaeological roots. The divisive finale, which catapulted Indy back to the Siege of Syracuse in 214 BC, left many fans and critics questioning if the series had finally strayed too far from its grounded origins.
Ultimately, the combination of an unsustainable budget and a polarizing narrative shift into science fiction ensured that Indy’s final crusade ended as a flop of historic proportions.
For the uninitiated, Indiana Jones’ adventure began in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film spawned four sequels: Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and Dial of Destiny (2023).
Source: The Independent