News Disney plans to accelerate Parks investment to $60 billion over 10 years

[BrianLo]

I still wonder how much of the company's growth under Iger was due to essentially 0% interest rates from 2009 - 2022.

Iger's had falling or near-0% fed rates for all but a handful of months during the first 15 years as CEO.

Ask Paramount, Fox and WB how that worked out for them. Or NBC-Universal, which was technically the first to fall and be acquired.

Some of the success came from the Disney content flywheel. Whether it was just dumb luck is debatable. But he was pretty lucky for a while there.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Ask Paramount, Fox and WB how that worked out for them. Or NBC-Universal, which was technically the first to fall and be acquired.

Some of the success came from the Disney content flywheel. Whether it was just dumb luck is debatable. But he was pretty lucky for a while there.

Much of the success Iger would like to claim as his own was built by Pixar (their movie slate in the mid-to-late 2000's) and Kevin Feige. WDAS has had 2 major hits under Iger - Tangled and Frozen.

 

[BrianLo]

Much of the success Iger would like to claim as his own was built by Pixar (their movie slate in the mid-to-late 2000's) and Kevin Feige. WDAS has had 2 major hits under Iger - Tangled and Frozen.

Huh? Tangled wasn't actually a hit. I'm confused what metric you are using.

You've forgotten Moana, Frozen 2, Zootopia. These meet every definition of hits.

If you are including Tangled; Big Hero 6 and Wreck it Ralph also did significantly better.


Anyways, as I said it wasn't just about interest rates, he got very, very lucky with content. Across the board for the better part of a decade.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I could win lotto tomorrow too.
What a bull$hit artist Iger is.
After he wins the proxy fight, it will continue to be business as usual at TWDC and that does NOT include seven new lands.

Maybe seven new DVCs
Maybe seven new “important” movies that lose money at the box office.

What sucks is this is exactly how it’s gonna play

 

[erasure fan1]

Now wait just a doggone minute. Are you trying to say that ripping out old rides and replacing or retheming them isn't actually park or capacity expansion??

I know right! I figured we we're at double the capacity at wdw since they shut down 20k. I'll be a monkey's uncle.

 

[John park hopper]

Now wait just a doggone minute. Are you trying to say that ripping out old rides and replacing or retheming them isn't actually park or capacity expansion??

So many have been removed, never placed

 

[tanc]

I'm all for new lands if they properly invest into them, I love HK DL Frozen area and Zootopia in Shanghai. Still obviously have yet to see Fantasy Springs, but given that it's Tokyo I don't expect it to fall short. It'd be a fever dream for Disney to have the funds of Tokyo and build whatever they possibly can imagine.

 

[harryk]

Disney plans to nearly double its investment in parks and cruises business

Disney's theme parks have been a relative bright spot while the entertainment giant struggles to make a profit on streaming.

www.cnbc.com

Disney, Challenged Elsewhere, Plans to Spend $60 Billion on Parks and Cruises

Amid uncertainty for the company’s film and TV divisions, the investment over the next decade doubles the outlay in the last 10 years.

www.nytimes.com

Promises, promises, lots of promises......just wait and see if anything actually happens and how long it takes.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I'm all for new lands if they properly invest into them, I love HK DL Frozen area and Zootopia in Shanghai. Still obviously have yet to see Fantasy Springs, but given that it's Tokyo I don't expect it to fall short. It'd be a fever dream for Disney to have the funds of Tokyo and build whatever they possibly can imagine.

The problem with those lands is they aren’t being watched penny for penny by the New York Stock Exchange

Which is why Disney never got fully inbed with their antics and maintained a discrete distance…
That’s what’s allowed a lot of their success and argylle pooched it

 

[SplashJacket]

So here’s the question, what if shovels are in the ground at the start of FY 2025? D23 is August 9-11. FY 2025 starts October 1st 2024…

Would any of you admit excessive pessimism?

Some pessimism is warranted, but “sky is falling, Iger is evil” is laughable.

Yes, imagineering was gutted, but the job postings for Disney positions have been astronomical over the last several months.

Plus, theme park projects are considered “expedited design,” and someone will insert some quip about ridiculous construction timelines, but the industry builds and designs simultaneously, which means the timeline from ideation to completion becomes greatly reduced.

In other words, there doesn’t need to be much pre-development time as you might expect.

Yes, there’s a lot, but for the complexity and custom nature of the projects, ideation to completion timelines can be surprisingly short.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Huh? Tangled wasn't actually a hit. I'm confused what metric you are using.

You've forgotten Moana, Frozen 2, Zootopia. These meet every definition of hits.

If you are including Tangled; Big Hero 6 and Wreck it Ralph also did significantly better.


Anyways, as I said it wasn't just about interest rates, he got very, very lucky with content. Across the board for the better part of a decade.

Ah, I did forget Moana. Thank you for correcting me on that. And I'm not counting any sequel. Original stuff. Z******* wasn't a hit (despite the people who will point to the box office numbers and loudly proclaim it one. It had ZERO impact or pull outside of the theater. And furry clubs. And the story sucked.)

While I thoroughly enjoyed BH6, it was never a hit, nor was Ralph (and I liked it a lot as well). Baymax as a character was a big hit, though, and sadly they've done nothing with Ralph since (except make a bad sequel). I stand by Tangled being a hit. But yes, he got very lucky. His ego won't allow that to be said, though.

 

[SplashJacket]

(despite the people who will point to the box office numbers and loudly proclaim it one. It had ZERO impact or pull outside of the theater. And furry clubs. And the story sucked.)

It sounds like you just didn’t like Zootopia and are applying arbitrary logic to fit the narrative that’s it’s not good because you didn’t like it or popular because you don’t think it should be?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Huh? Tangled wasn't actually a hit. I'm confused what metric you are using.

You've forgotten Moana, Frozen 2, Zootopia. These meet every definition of hits.

If you are including Tangled; Big Hero 6 and Wreck it Ralph also did significantly better.


Anyways, as I said it wasn't just about interest rates, he got very, very lucky with content. Across the board for the better part of a decade.

Tangled had a double production budget because it was so messed up…so it wasn’t a hit…

But had they done it right the first time…it would have been a big hit

And it has lasted/pushed massive amounts of product.

I’d argue that tangled is one of the 4 most important animation movies in Disney history…

Frozen doesn’t explode without tangled

It’s one of Disney most underutilized properties

Proving they don’t know how to look at things

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This is fun

My opinion as to what properties they need to Lean into…based on lack of oversaturation and product appeal longterm:

Tangled
Big hero
Moana
Nemo
Encanto

 

[monothingie]

24 Hours After Bob's town hall and still no new shovels in the ground building at most, but not more than 7 new lands.

 

[Tha Realest]

24 Hours After Bob's town hall and still no new shovels in the ground building at most, but not more than 7 new lands.

But the stock’s down 3% since he started the event

 

[Cliff]

Seven new lands?...Well?...I'd be super happy if Disney just spent the money to MAINTAIN the attractions they ALREADY have today properly.

That would be a great start! Then they can build seven new gates after that.

 

[JIMINYCR]

When Bob speaks it reminds me of.....

And if ever pressed for details to show hes really sincere its....

 

[MisterPenguin]

I could win lotto tomorrow too.
What a bull$hit artist Iger is.
After he wins the proxy fight, it will continue to be business as usual at TWDC and that does NOT include seven new lands.

Maybe seven new DVCs
Maybe seven new “important” movies that lose money at the box office.

My grandmother could be a bicycle if she had wheels.

*COULD* build 7 new lands.

Iger was dispelling the myth that some of the parks are too 'land locked' to add capacity.

There was not a promise of 7 new lands.

$60B for parks. A portion designated for new capacity (i.e., not just replacement). And $17B for WDW. That is what was promised.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I don't see what Bob's plan is or if he even has one. Bob's only interest is to satisfy his ego and what is best for Bob. He doesn't give two sh--- about the park. It's easy to say we're gona do this-- time goes by nothing gets done and Bob comes up with another we're gona

Well then you just haven't been keeping up. Sorry.

Bob has gone into details at the quarterly meetings, interviews, and the anti-Peltz advertising.