News Bob Iger is back! Chapek is out!!

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Perhaps he will put a half decent PR team back in place and put a cork in the CFO’s mouth.

She’ll have to honor her NDA after she’s fired

 

[monothingie]

…yeah…but also context…

Iger “managed” that much to the liking of the masters of Wall Street then.

I did spend those year vilifying him on the “other” board…at least about parks. It’s where the slide accelerated. Many don’t even understand what the slide looked like.

And many just thought he was pie in the sky.

In other words he is just like the guy who he replaced who replaced him, just more of a people person and less of an inarticulate ogreish clod.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

In other words he is just like the guy who he replaced who replaced him, just more of a people person and less of an inarticulate ogreish clod.

Correct…but also he knows how to handle Hollywood’s power structure while also being a complete slave animal to Wall Street.

But am I “parsing” too much?

The articles are actually pointing out all rhe problems…if they intend to do anything of what they say at all?

 

[CAV]

Absolutely nothing will change short-term. There could be changes mid-term, but this is happening because there are divisions in Burbank that are hemorrhaging red ink, namely the flagship animation studios and the live action studios. Only Marvel seems to make money at the box office now.

The Parks are a cash cow, even during economic tough times. Burbank knows that, and puts them on auto pilot for awhile in times like these. There will be no changes seen or felt in the parks because of Iger's return until a year from now at the earliest.

Short term, Bob Iger and the Board will be happy to let the amusement parks and cruise ships (that Burbank senior executives don't even like to visit, especially with all those middle class folks) keep providing monthly cash flow while they focus on the real problems at hand:

Bob Iger's Real Problems For 2023

• Studio entertainment's bloated budgets and/or box office flops
• Streaming is a bottomless money pit (see above)
• Complete lack of talent development in the senior executive ranks
• No showmen are leading a showman's company (see above)

This is completely logical, however, logic doesn't always deliver better stock market returns and brand loyalty. If this ouster didn't come within hours of the WSJ article that reports the damage being done to the brand, I would agree with you 100%. The "loss of the Magic," viewing guests at nothing more than dollar signs, and inserting technology where no one asked for it, finally took its toll.

Now, you can say, "but Iger pushed all that and turned it over to Chapek," and rightfully so, but someone has to be the scapegoat. Why not someone that no one likes?

 

[zulemara]

She’ll have to honor her NDA after she’s fired

Seriously she did a lot of damage to the relationship with fans because she is as tone deaf as Chapek. Firing her would make me so incredibly happy lol

 

[John park hopper]

Chapek or Iger will anything really change?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This is completely logical, however, logic doesn't always deliver better stock market returns and brand loyalty. If this ouster didn't come within hours of the WSJ article that reports the damage being done to the brand, I would agree with you 100%. The "loss of the Magic," viewing guests at nothing more than dollar signs, and inserting technology where no one asked for it, finally took its toll.

Now, you can say, "but Iger pushed all that and turned it over to Chapek," and rightfully so, but someone has to be the scapegoat. Why not someone that no one likes?

I thought that chapek had a deal with Arnold…which may have still been true:

He slashes and burns everything for his years and takes all the blame…the street loves it…and he retired at 65 with $250 to $500 mil of their money. Not bad for a ketchup salesman.

They just pulled the ripcord.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Seriously she did a lot of damage to the relationship with fans because she is as tone deaf as Chapek. Firing her would make me so incredibly happy lol

Penguin thinks she’s just getting “undo hate as an underling”

She’s easily as bad as he is.

 

[monothingie]

Correct…but also he knows how to handle Hollywood’s power structure while also being a complete slave animal to Wall Street.

But am I “parsing” too much?

The articles are actually pointing out all rhe problems…if they intend to do anything of what they say at all?

All he has to do to be a hero is hope that in the next two years inflation disappears, any recessions are small, no Ronna 2.0,3.0?, and China opens up.

Chapek wasn’t there long enough to be the cause of the deep seated problems which TWDC is facing. But was there at the right time to be the fall guy and take the blame.

2022/3 is a lot different than 2019. Driven by his massive ego, Iger thinks he’s got this…

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Honestly I think it just came down to the beard. View attachment 679827

There really is something to be said for having a Disney CEO who looks like a supervillain.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

All he has to do to be a hero is hope that in the next two years inflation disappears, any recessions are small, no Ronna 2.0,3.0?, and China opens up.

Chapek wasn’t there long enough to be blamed for the deep seated problems which TWDC is facing.

2022/3 is a lot different than 2019. Driven by his massive ego, Iger thinks he’s got this…

That was my first thought as well…

But there’s something with his streaming strategy too…more to follow.

For us…what matters is do they respond in Orlando at all.

Even though Disney fans swallowed all the price hikes - cause we’re freaking children - Comcast “won Covid” in Orlando and it isn’t close.

That stupid bad Star Wars Hotel is empty…next to an already dilapidated land.
That isn’t on chapek.

 

[erasure fan1]

I see no scenario that this helps the parks return to their former glory. A lot of the issues were started by Iger anyway. And what's he going to do in 2yrs? Absolutely nothing, as it takes them 6 years or longer to build a restaurant. The parks aren't a priority other than to nickel and dime and make as much cash with as little effort as possible. Of course I don't see Iger staying only 2yrs. I can see the new ceo he finds is himself.

Will anything meaningful come of this? Unless Iger had some epiphany, no, not really. He's the one who went along with Kennedy and the star wars debacle. The parks went how many years without a new eticket? And maintenance was terrible under him and cuts were aplenty as well. He's the one who abandoned the video game space... The biggest thing I see is him buying up some other ip or company. It's what he does best.

 

[monothingie]

This is completely logical, however, logic doesn't always deliver better stock market returns and brand loyalty. If this ouster didn't come within hours of the WSJ article that reports the damage being done to the brand, I would agree with you 100%. The "loss of the Magic," viewing guests at nothing more than dollar signs, and inserting technology where no one asked for it, finally took its toll.

Parks were never the problem for Wall Street. Yes it became a PR problem which main stream media increasingly picked up on, but ironically the parks were very much run the way Wall Street wanted them to be run.

Studios, ESPN, and streaming were another thing entirely.

 

[ohioguy]

Totally unexpected news, but thankfully the Board is doing their job and protecting the company. Chapek obviously wasn't ready (and may never have been) for the position. I figured Iger might be running for President but money talks. We need a visionary like Eisner again.

 

[Thelazer]

Considering the park down the street and what they are building.
I'd say this is the RIGHT move needed ASAP.

As others, Iger may not be long term.. but he's the man for the job right now.

Now lets see if Mr Rhode comes back to town to.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Seriously she did a lot of damage to the relationship with fans because she is as tone deaf as Chapek. Firing her would make me so incredibly happy lol

Nobody has any clue what Christine McCarthy said on corporate earnings releases except for a few dozen weirdos on the internet. I guarantee you that less than 5% of the people in the Magic Kingdom could name the Disney CFO on any given day, an I'm including cast members in that.

 

[G00fyDad]

This is not going to change anything. Iger was just as money hungry as Chapek is so nothing is going to change.

 

[LSLS]

I'm honestly a bit surprised how many people are excited right now. What did Chapek do other than say the stuff that had been going on under Iger out loud? Don't get me wrong, Chapek was awful, but Iger isn't some great improvement. The guy bailed as soon as he saw trouble coming for the parks. He sees the trouble subside, and he comes back to reap the glory.

 

[FutureCEO]

I know this is not going to happen but Disney needs to totally gut the company from horrible movies and Disney Plus stuff to theme parks (the last good non-IP theme park ride was under Eisner).

Iger is Chapek but with a smile.

 

[Heppenheimer]

I saw Strange World yesterday. Phenomenal movie, my favorite modern WDAS film by far. It absolutely reeks of box office bomb though because its barely been marketed, and what marketing it has gotten doesn't do it justice imho.

I didn't even know this film existed until yesterday.
I hope its good, but Disney Feature Animation had s spotty track record with science fiction.