Marvel: A Good Investment For Disney – Well, Duh!
Writers on a beat will often write pieces that have readers thinking, “Well, duh.” There’s just no getting around the fact that specific topics around a subject will just sound superfluous. And today’s excellent article by CNBC’s Sarah Whitten about Disney and Marvel falls into that category because the purchase of Marvel by Disney was always lauded.
But the writer still has the write it.
And we should read it…
The Beginning: Disney’s Purchase of Marvel
Let’s start at the beginning. In 2009, Newsweek posted:
Analysts are already gushing over Iger’s acquisition of Marvel Comics. “Overall, we think Marvel’s library and brands are a solid strategic fit for Disney,” Anthony J. DiClemente, of Barclays Capital. “Disney should be able to leverage its global reach, execution, and distribution capabilities to grow Marvel’s brands and business opportunities.” Does that mean Captain America will soon be greeting visitors at Disneyland? “This is absolutely historic, as it merges the long-standing but now fast-growing Marvel heroes with Disney’s icons,” says Anthony Sabino, a St. John’s University business-law professor who rushed to put out a statement.
BTW: They also posted…
(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
You may not recognize his name, and Iger, who began his showbiz career as a TV weatherman, isn’t a very animated guy. Unlike some of his counterparts–Viacom’s Sumner Redstone and News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch–he gets along with his colleagues and makes a point of delegating authority. And in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Michael Eisner, the undisputed Lion King during his Disney reign, Iger has kept a low profile. Yet he has reaffirmed Disney’s legacy in animation with some of the boldest dealmaking in Hollywood in the past decade.
Exciting stuff, all around (particularly interesting is the note about Bob Iger being a weatherman). As is today’s reporting, which pointed to an unlimited ceiling for Marvel/Disney. Heck, even Jim Cramer is calling Disney stock an “annuity stream.”
A Treasure Trove
“This is perfect from a strategic perspective,” Iger said at the time. “This treasure trove of over 5,000 characters offers Disney the ability to do what we do best.”
It seems he was right.
Since releasing its first Disney produced Marvel movie in 2012, the company has earned more than $18.2 billion at the global box office. And it’s already on its way to make billions more.
A Great Deal For Disney
I actually looked back at some reporting at the beginning of the sale, and there was little nay-saying about the purchase if any. Sure, some wondered if Disney would be able to do with superheroes what they had done with princesses. But not too many folks were concerned.
And, knock on wood, nobody is concerned at the moment, either.
The key stats being:
- The House of Mouse has produced and distributed 16 of the 23 Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
- On Saturday at Comic-Con in San Diego, Marvel unveiled the 10 films and TV projects will all be released in the next two years.
- Some theatrically and the rest on Disney’s upcoming streaming service Disney+.
Today, CNBC added:
[The upcoming f]ilms include “Black Widow,” “Eternals,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
The Disney+ productions are “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “WandaVision,” “Loki,” “Hawkeye,” and an animated series called “What If?.”
“We didn’t even mention that we’re making ‘Black Panther 2,‘” Feige said at the end of the panel. “We didn’t even talk about that ′Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3’ is coming. We didn’t have time to talk about ‘Captain Marvel 2.’ ”
“I didn’t even have time to talk about the Fantastic Four,” he added, the crowd roaring with excitement. “And there’s no time left to talk about mutants and how mutants come into the MCU.”
Meanwhile, Marvel’s entry into the parks remains in its toddler stage. Stay tuned, True Believers…
