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

[MisterPenguin]

You don't do long term planning based on short-term economic conditions. Disney did that during Covid, Comcast didn't.

Comcast paused EU for 8 months and pushed off opening for a year.

Meanwhile, The Walt Disney Company was preparing for The Great Cordcutting and making streaming their top priority over the course of at least five years. The purchase of Fox, and the installation of world wide streaming infrastructure, the five year loss-leading of D+, and the ramp up of production of content used up all their free cash.

Disney was playing the long game, but not in the parks department because they couldn't afford to do both.. until now.. until another maybe Great Recession changes that.

Meanwhile, Comcast is saddled with twice the debt of Disney, still hasn't made Peacock profitable, has the same stock woes as Disney, and are doubly hit by cord-cutting since they also provide the cords.

Both Uni and Disney parks are part of larger corporations. Looking at just what they're building in parks misses the big picture.

Disney doesn't have the money, talent, or desire to do something on the level of EU. The $60B over 10 years doesn't get anything close to an EU.

The $60B isn't enough to build a $7B new park like Comcast did? I know somebody who disagrees with you...

Disney could afford a new gate at anytime.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Beware, Iger has already made statements of cutting based on new tariffs. Classic recent Disney is over promise and under deliver.

Universal will undoubtedly do the same, even if their CEO doesn't announce it like Iger did.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Disney will never admit that they weren’t quite ready for Epic… but it doesn’t matter, it’s very clear from their actions.

Last years announcement cycle and this earmarked spending package are their admission of guilt.

What I disagree with @monothingie on is they have the money and the talent. Epic was expensive, but it wasn’t that expensive. If (and they deserve a big if) 17B is spent in Florida in a 10 year window, that is more than Universal will have spent in a 10 year window. Plus as per talent… where do we think many of those Florida creatives who wrapped on EU have landed? Where do we think those creatives came from in the first place?

Disney prioritized dealing with the oncoming disaster of cord-cutting rather than goosing their parks. Comcast was late and confused about cord-cutting and streaming and decided to make the parks their priority. Good for Uni park fans. Bad for business...

Comcast paused EU for 8 months and pushed off opening for a year.

Meanwhile, The Walt Disney Company was preparing for The Great Cordcutting and making streaming their top priority over the course of at least five years. The purchase of Fox, and the installation of world wide streaming infrastructure, the five year loss-leading of D+, and the ramp up of production of content used up all their free cash.

Disney was playing the long game, but not in the parks department because they couldn't afford to do both.. until now.. until another maybe Great Recession changes that.

Meanwhile, Comcast is saddled with twice the debt of Disney, still hasn't made Peacock profitable, has the same stock woes as Disney, and are doubly hit by cord-cutting since they also provide the cords.

Both Uni and Disney parks are part of larger corporations. Looking at just what they're building in parks misses the big picture.

 

[MisterPenguin]

In my opinion, the 17B is a lie, just a fake talking point to keep shareholders happy.

The $17B for WDW and $60B for all parks and cruise lines were promises and proclamations made to local governments and the SEC.

If it was all a lie, Iger put a SUE ME sign on the back of TWDC.

 

[Agent H]

Universal will undoubtedly do the same, even if their CEO doesn't announce it like Iger did.

I would like to add that iger most likely did that because Disney already has a lot of projects announced. Meanwhile the only big things universal has confirmed coming after epic universe is the permanent Halloween horror nights location and the Texas kids park.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Comcast paused EU for 8 months and pushed off opening for a year.

The pause was really closer to 12 months and the total delay 18 months. Before Covid, Universal was aiming for a December 2023 opening.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Beware, Iger has already made statements of cutting based on new tariffs. Classic recent Disney is over promise and under deliver.

That’s just economic reality. Can blame Iger for a lot, but not for this. Disney as a company needs to survive what is coming.

 

[peter11435]

In my opinion, the 17B is a lie, just a fake talking point to keep shareholders happy.

The 17B message wasn’t for the shareholders benefit. Most shareholders aren’t going yo be enthusiastic about massive investments. And it wasn’t just an announcement it was officially documented in SEC filings and various government agreements.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Can a show really be an E ticket headliner?

Original Country Bears was an E ticket. A literal E ticket, back when the tickets were lettered.

 

[Lilofan]

That’s just economic reality. Can blame Iger for a lot, but not for this. Disney as a company needs to survive what is coming.

Disney will survive and again prosper. However in reality not all may be part of the process moving forward. They are not the only company that will have to make difficult decisions.

 

[monothingie]

Comcast paused EU for 8 months and pushed off opening for a year.

Meanwhile, The Walt Disney Company was preparing for The Great Cordcutting and making streaming their top priority over the course of at least five years. The purchase of Fox, and the installation of world wide streaming infrastructure, the five year loss-leading of D+, and the ramp up of production of content used up all their free cash.

Disney was playing the long game, but not in the parks department because they couldn't afford to do both.. until now.. until another maybe Great Recession changes that.

Meanwhile, Comcast is saddled with twice the debt of Disney, still hasn't made Peacock profitable, has the same stock woes as Disney, and are doubly hit by cord-cutting since they also provide the cords.

Both Uni and Disney parks are part of larger corporations. Looking at just what they're building in parks misses the big picture.

You’re going to play compare and contrast. Look at how Epcot turned out vs EU. Comcast and Disney both faced headwinds in their respective segments but one still fared much better than the other in the respective decisions they made with their parks.

The $60B isn't enough to build a $7B new park like Comcast did? I know somebody who disagrees with you...

Come on Penguin you know the $60B goes all over the world and then once you take necessary funding out of the Florida allocation you don’t have enough.

Disney could do a new gate at any point, but they choose not to.(because it’s not as profitable.)

Also a $7 billion EU equivalent at Disney would be $12B.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Disney will survive and again prosper.

Probably. Hopefully.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I really don’t think EU will tip the scales that much when Universals Florida parks aren’t even in the top 10 visited in the world. Their hotels are still fully open even with EU opening. I just don’t see them moving the needle THAT much even for an off year. Even if EU is fantastic, it doesn’t hold quite the same nostalgia and history as MK

How many tickets to D23 are we planning on getting?

 

[Lilofan]

Probably. Hopefully.

With the tariffs , the companies small and others that survive day to day may not make it but I’m confident Disney will in some sort or fashion.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I like how all of bobs mismanagement in wdw is now “officially” being blamed on cord cutting by his official spokespeople here…

When the parks mismanagement has been a hallmark as long as cord cutting has been

False equivalency at it’s peak form

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They'll just parrot whatever new BS talking point they're told on CNN about how "ummmmm actually negotiating better trade deals with countries that continuously rip us off is really a bad thing" or something like that. They want the economy to fail because they don't like the current administration and it's about that deep as that. It's the same sort of crazies that have infiltrated Disney and turned it into the soulless rotting husk that is today. Like I've said before, the concept of short term pain for a major long term gain is a completely foreign concept to them. I bought the dip, treasury yields are below 4%, and there's already over 50 countries lining up to negotiate. Maybe those of us that were smart enough to buy in the last few days will just launch a hostile takeover of Disney in a few years

“I’ll take Completely fooled by a lifelong con man for $1000, Alex”

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The $17B for WDW and $60B for all parks and cruise lines were promises and proclamations made to local governments and the SEC.

If it was all a lie, Iger put a SUE ME sign on the back of TWDC.

Not binding…at all.

As nothing they say is. On what planet are they “bound” to spend their own money?

This appears to be a mental hurdle we need to get you a step stool to overcome

 

[peter11435]

Not binding…at all.

As nothing they say is. On what planet are they “bound” to spend their own money?

This appears to be a mental hurdle we need to get you a step stool to overcome

They aren’t necessarily bound to it. But that still doesn’t mean that they could lie about. If there was evidence that they deliberately lied and misled in those filings and agreements there could and would be legal consequences.

And in some cases they are bound to some of that investment like some of the Disneyland Forward money.

 

[TheDisneyParksfanC8]

Disney prioritized dealing with the oncoming disaster of cord-cutting rather than goosing their parks. Comcast was late and confused about cord-cutting and streaming and decided to make the parks their priority. Good for Uni park fans. Bad for business...

I don't think Comcast has any intention of really of becoming a top tier streaming player...

 

[Lilofan]

Universal will undoubtedly do the same, even if their CEO doesn't announce it like Iger did.

Off the top of my head I have no idea who is the Comcast CEO but many know Iger. Comcast who has no clue how to run theme parks hires execs to run them for Universal.