News Chapek FIRED, Iger New CEO

[Cliff]

Number one rule to crisis management is to put stakeholders ahead of reputation. Where Disney messed up is that by not "meddling" they appeared to not support its stakeholders (note, not shareholders, but its actual publics: Cos and guests), and only spoke out after internal pressure, which made Disney appear reactive, not proactive. A failure on all fronts.

Again, it's not really possible for a company to be apolitical. It's a challenge for me to think of one company with the gravitas of Disney that operates apolitically in this day and age.

It depends on the company. Some companies deliberetly involve themselves in political activism or social justice issues. Its actually the "goal" of some companies. Some companies make products and use their brands to promote the political and social justice philosophy of their shareholders and management.

I dont think Disney is "intentionally" one of these companies. I think their goal is to attract and appeal to as many people as they can...no matter how much they might agree or disagree with their customers.

Look....half of America votes one way and half votes the other. Its bad business for Disney to give a middle finger to half of its consumer base by diving head-long in to political hot bed issues.

Even if Disney were to decide to openly or publically support one party over the other...what "good" would possibly come from that? This is why they need to stay OUT of the political and social justice argument. They gain nothing from jumping into that fight.....ever.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Just wanted to mention that Lightyear got 5.2 million in preview box office receipts. ("Preview" refers to when a movie "soft-opens" a day before its official premiere, usually on a Thursday).

It's just been announced that "Minions: The Rise of Gru" got 10.75 million during its preview last night.

(tips hat to elephant in the room, strolls away, whistling)

 

[kingdead]

Just wanted to mention that Lightyear got 5.2 million in preview box office receipts. ("Preview" refers to when a movie "soft-opens" a day before its official premiere, usually on a Thursday).

It's just been announced that "Minions: The Rise of Gru" got 10.75 million during its preview last night.

(tips hat to elephant in the room, strolls away, whistling)

That's good news for theaters in general--counterprogramming is back, baby!--and terrible news for Disney. I wonder if it's that people just see the movies as a Disney+ perk now.

 

[el_super]

Even if Disney were to decide to openly or publically support one party over the other...what "good" would possibly come from that? This is why they need to stay OUT of the political and social justice argument. They gain nothing from jumping into that fight.....ever.

What if the split was more 60/40? Would it be worth it to appeal to the majority? What if the demographic that was most likely to spend money on your product was closer to 70/30 or 80/20 toward one side? Would it make sense then?

They're staying in politics because it makes good business sense in the long term to get ahead of these opinions.

Haven't you even been on the Carousel of Progress? Progress is eternal.

 

[Magenta Panther]

That's good news for theaters in general--counterprogramming is back, baby!--and terrible news for Disney. I wonder if it's that people just see the movies as a Disney+ perk now.

That'd be bad news for "Disney". Disney+ is in deep red territory. Costs the company a lot, doesn't make it a dime.

But I don't think that's quite it. There may be other reasons.

But I'm not gonna poke that elephant.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

PW would have been an E ticket on the Seaside or Pt. Pleasant NJ boardwalk…an enjoyable ride for kids, but had no place at AK

Before the storm…after the storm underwater it would be a cutting edge hybrid

 

[kingdead]

That'd be bad news for "Disney". Disney+ is in deep red territory. Costs the company a lot, doesn't make it a dime.

But I don't think that's quite it. There may be other reasons.

But I'm not gonna poke that elephant.

Confusing storyline (is it the toy or the man?), movie seems a bit dark visually, leaned too hard into culture war marketing which always seems so grim and lecturey. It's nice that they're being inclusive but not $50 worth of nice and that two women kiss and it's not the toy but like a man but a movie man (?????) are literally all I know about the movie. Like, you know what, if you want to be inclusive, just show your kids lesbian moms on other media for free. Or get to know two moms or two dads! Then you don't have to see a bad movie

 

[mightynine]

But I'm not gonna poke that elephant.

Sure seems like you want to.

 

[mikejs78]

.half of America votes one way and half votes the other. Its bad business for Disney to give a middle finger to half of its consumer base by diving head-long in to political hot bed issues.

It's a fallicy to believe that just because everyone votes one way or another in a two-party system, that everyone thinks one way or the other on every single issue. In reality, the American political landscape is:

• Approximately 30% Democratic
• Approximately 30% Republican
• Approximately 40% Independent

That 40% shifts tremendously between election cycles. And even among those who are solidly in one party or another, there aren't monolithic views. To say Disney is effectively alienating 50% of the country by being politically active is pure fallacy and doesn't take into account the many nuances of the American political electorate.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It's a fallicy to believe that just because everyone votes one way or another in a two-party system, that everyone thinks one way or the other on every single issue. In reality, the American political landscape is:

• Approximately 30% Democratic
• Approximately 30% Republican
• Approximately 40% Independent

That 40% shifts tremendously between election cycles. And even among those who are solidly in one party or another, there aren't monolithic views. To say Disney is effectively alienating 50% of the country by being politically active is pure fallacy and doesn't take into account the many nuances of the American political electorate.

It’s actually 55% don’t care/do nothing

Other than that…totally agree with you

 

[bcoachable]

That's a very elitist take.

Guilty here - but it WAS what separated the Disney parks from all the rest… it’s why I fell in love with the place to begin with…

 

[mikejs78]

And this thread has gone off the rails. Ready for a mass-removal of posts in 3...2...1...

 

[MrPromey]

That's good news for theaters in general--counterprogramming is back, baby!--and terrible news for Disney. I wonder if it's that people just see the movies as a Disney+ perk now.

Have you seen it?

I have and I don't think that's the problem.

I also don't think poltical controversy had a ton to do with it, either.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Sony was mentioned in the original list... I'd venture that Disney and Sony are equivalent to the author's thesis.

Sony is still primarily an international technology company - with a strong entertainment presence

Disney is still primarily an American entertainment company


Closer comparison though…for sure

 

[Sir_Cliff]

Sony is still primarily an international technology company - with a strong entertainment presence

Disney is still primarily an American entertainment company


Closer comparison though…for sure

I'd venture to say that there is no entertainment brand that carries quite the cultural clout of Disney. There's a reason Universal Orlando kind of flies under the radar on issues like this and Covid, while everything Disney does or doesn't do is a global headline.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'd venture to say that there is no entertainment brand that carries quite the cultural clout of Disney. There's a reason Universal Orlando kind of flies under the radar on issues like this and Covid, while everything Disney does or doesn't do is a global headline.

There isn’t…that’s why they are unique.

It’s allows them to make it through all economic storms (for now) and rob us repeatedly like they just rode out of Sherwood Forest on a tiny horse

 

[TsWade2]

I'm guessing the Board knows insider things going on the "we" don't know. I have a feeling that Disney is about to go through a big "reset" time. This has happens every 20 years or so?

Get ready...Chapek now has the full power of the Board behind him. We might be in for some major leadership changes under Chapek.

I suspect that the Board and Investors are tired of the internal political problems of the past few years.

I hope so. Because Disney needs to end their political nonsense and focus on what Disney does best by making great movies, cartoons, and shows for kids and families to all enjoy without being political. And I think that’s Walt Disney wants. If Bob Chapek is so smart (Which I doubt he is) I think he needs to correct the wrongs that Disney has been having recently.

 

[Cliff]

Sadly, I suspect there are a large number of creatives that WANT to use Disney a social justice and political megaphone. Disney and its brand is seen as a perfect "tool" for activist minded people to influence social change in the way they see fit.

I dont know how this will end but I suspect that a Disney insider civil war is about to start. It might be a battle between Disneys board and investors that want to move away from politics versus creative execs that have no intention of backing down and want to push deeper into politics.

If this is the case....who will win in the end?

 

[Midwest Elitist]

Sadly, I suspect there are a large number of creatives that WANT to use Disney a social justice and political megaphone. Disney and its brand is seen as a perfect "tool" for activist minded people to influence social change in the way they see fit.

I dont know how this will end but I suspect that a Disney insider civil war is about to start. It might be a battle between Disneys board and investors that want to move away from politics and creative execs that have no intention of backing down and want to push deeper into politics.

If this is the case....who will win in the end?

My biggest fear is that they push wayyyy too far in one direction, and since Disney is a household brand, people on the fence notice this. Disney doesn't seem to play the realpolitik game when it comes to social justice: instead of incremental changes they go for massive steps which gives controversial media pundits ammo.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I'm amongst those who doesn't have an issue with all the recent efforts at inclusion as the world is an increasingly diverse place and it makes sense for entertainment to reflect this.

I will say, though, when I think about it from the perspective of a parent skimming through stories about Disney, I do wonder whether it is all seems heavy handed, if not a bit odd. First, there was the overblown coverage of the same sex kiss in Lightyear. Another poster put up an article a few days ago doing the rounds about an episode in a new Baymax cartoon for Disney+ showing a masculine-presenting trans kid buying tampons in the supermarket. Next year, we have the new WDFA feature Strange World featuring a gay male teenage character who has a crush on another guy. So, I can understand someone getting the impression that there is a real push within Disney to include queer storylines in their entertainment for kids and wondering whether it's better to just give them Minions to watch.

The reality, I think, is far more nuanced, particularly when you consider how a brief moment or background character amongst the mountain of entertainment Disney is producing sparks outsized media coverage. There is also a reasonable argument that you have to push through the initial controversy to ever get to a point where such things are no longer controversial. I think it is fair to say, though, that they are weighing up the possible business impact and social impact, and erring toward the latter on these issues.