This should be all anyone needs to read to realize that they will continue to reduce value in order to preserve profit. Every $1 they cut is the equivalent of increasing revenue by $3. It is the sort of short sided, stubborn and misguided near term focus that does far more long term damage than good:
"Revenue increased 2 percent from a year earlier, to $8.4 billion, while operating profit declined 3 percent, to $2.2 billion. Disney blamed a “moderation of consumer demand” that “exceeded our previous expectations,” along with higher costs. Disney said softening demand “could impact the next few quarters.”
Disney added that it was “aggressively managing our cost base.”
I actually think the earnings report is probably about as good as we can hope in terms of being optimistic for substantial parks investment.
Look, no matter what, it's always possible that this leadership could just say "screw it, bleed the parks dry" and cut as much to the bone and try to wrangle out every last penny in the short term. I can understand people feeling that is what to expect - and maybe that's right.
But they've been on record as stating they plan to invest heavily in the parks the next decade. If the parks were doing great - increased attendance and revenues, etc - then I think the response would be to just increase prices, make marginal investments and let the dollars roll in. The report doesn't show that. Just continuing on doesn't seem like a viable course.
If the parks were doing horrible - profits greatly diminished or even showing a loss - then they'd feel obligated to turn that around. Try to reduce spending and eek out any improvement to revenue and operating profit/loss in the short term to appease Wall St. They'd be desperate.
But the report today is probably in just the right zone for hoping for the company to invest in the parks the way we all want. There's still strong profits being made - $2.22B in profit for the segment this quarter of which $1.35B is from the domestic parks (and cruise line) - so there's a cushion where they can absorb increased spending. But with declining attendance and soft revenue they know they need to "turn around" customer trends and attitudes. They kind of
need to do something big and they are still in a strong enough financial position where they
can do something big.
I guess we will see in a few days, but this feels to me to be a perfect illustration of why they need and intend to invest, not an excuse to not invest.