This Is Disney’s Big Month. Here’s Why.

Robert Downey Jr. will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

I’m confident you heard because the news was seemingly everywhere, with Disney fans and critics forming strong opinions.

Remarkably, that was just one of several impactful moments happening at The Walt Disney Company right now.

This is Disney’s big month. So, let’s discuss everything that’s happening right now.

The D23 Announcements

On Saturday, August 10^th, Disney hosts arguably the most important parks panel in the history of D23.

The Disney Experiences Showcase will (partially) reveal how the theme parks will spend roughly $42 billion.

You should calibrate your expectations here, as Disney won’t announce every single project right now.

The expansion will occur over the next decade. So, future D23 and Destination D events will need huge announcements, too.

Still, Disney has unintentionally turned the parks panel into a running gag among its loyal fans.

That’s because the announcements in recent years have…let’s just say underwhelmed.

This event previously introduced Pandora – The World of Avatar and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Recently, the “big” proclamations have been along the lines of Country Bear Musical Jamboree.

In Simpsons terms, that’s like Malibu Stacy getting a new hat.

Fans expect more from Disney, and we should get it in a few days.

Specifically, park officials should reveal potential projects like What Lies Beyond Big Thunder, Zootopia, and Arendelle themed lands.

We should learn about new E-ticket attractions coming to the parks, not minimalist reboots of existing attractions.

Should Disney miss the mark this time, it’ll be a damaging mistake.

That’s because the media cannot wait to run with the headline that Universal Studios is catching up with Disney.

In terms of market share or attraction quality, it’s not.

If you’ve ridden any of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Fast & Furious: Supercharged, or Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, you know.

Still, that’s what people want to say as the opening of Universal Epic Universe approaches.

Thus, the Disney parks panel needs to create a wave of “Disney Rises to the Challenge” headlines.

The Marvel Salvation

This story already happened, and I’ve covered it in Disney Headlines and in the Movie Gambit article.

Still, I’ll quickly mention it again because it’s such an integral part of the Disney story right now.

Last year was an abject disaster for the MCU. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (GotG3) did well, the other two films…did not.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania started okay, but word quickly spread that it wasn’t very good.

Then, special effects employees openly criticized Marvel and its Vice-President, Victoria Alonso, over harsh working conditions.

Marvel fired Alonso, but its collective problems didn’t stop there.

GotG3 director James Gunn defected to the competition, while The Marvels became arguably the worst-performing MCU film ever.

Meanwhile, Marvel delayed several titles, leaving Deadpool & Wolverine as the lone 2024 release.

Negative headlines prevailed right up until last week. That’s when the Ryan Reynolds movie destroyed expectations.

The film has already earned $500 million and will become the second-biggest blockbuster of 2024 by the end of this week.

Disney sustained that momentum at the San Diego Comic-Con, where it announced the return of the Russo Brothers as directors.

They’ll helm the next two Avengers movies, which will star…Robert Downey Jr. And he’ll play DOCTOR DOOM!!!

This announcement has proven wildly divisive, with many critics painting Marvel as desperate.

The reports of RDJ and the Russos’ salaries did nothing to diminish those complaints.

Still, people are talking about Marvel again. I mean they’re saying things in an excited, “Can you believe they…” way.

That’s a stark contrast to the past 18 months of, “What now?”

Suddenly, Marvel’s struggles with Blade, the casting of The Sentry, and the various reshoots appear trivial now.

Disney has created an entirely new roadmap for Marvel, and this road is made of gold.

The CEO Race

Early summer reports surfaced regarding the race to succeed Bob Iger as Disney CEO.

Insiders, including a former candidate for that very gig, Kevin Mayer, believe that Disney could make an announcement this year.

 

As theme park fans will excitedly rush to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the Oogie Boogie Bash, Disney settles in.

The summer box office season ends, while Disney Entertainment preps for the fall television campaign.

Behind the scenes, Disney has nearly three months of housekeeping for its next earnings report.

So, that’s exactly the kind of gap someone would want when they name a successor.

You’re not throwing the next CEO into the fire, as Disney regrettably did with Bob Chapek.

If Disney doesn’t choose this timeframe, the next point that would make sense is three months later in November.

By that point, the situation may have changed, depending on Disney’s fall schedule and other factors.

Similarly, a strong or poor reception to the parks panel could make a difference.

Currently, the two candidates perceived as the favorites are Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden and Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro.

You can understand why the fall television season and the parks panel could cause a fluctuation in the results.

For these reasons, I believe that if Disney names its next CEO in 2024, it’ll happen in either late August or late November.

I’d lean toward the latter, but much depends on some other factors we’re about to discuss. They could accelerate the timeline.

The Stock Price

Here’s a weird thing about Disney. When the company does well, the stock price tends to stagnate.

I’ll never understand the madness of Wall Street or its chaotic demands on Disney, but I will offer some proof.

For years, investors bemoaned the finances of Pixar, arguing that it was no longer a viable revenue stream.

On June 14^th, Inside Out 2 debuted in theaters and quickly became the most successful animated movie ever.

Since then, Disney’s stock has…dropped five percent. Now, a single film clearly shouldn’t determine the value of Disney.

However, analysts should recognize that Disney’s film revenue will exceed expectations in the current quarter due to a blockbuster hit.

Instead, Wall Street underreacted to the success of Inside Out but then overreacted to (arguably) more negative news.

The big selloff happened after Isaac Perlmutter revealed that he’d sold all his Disney stock.

I’m confident that Disney CEO Bob Iger thought, “Good riddance!” But Wall Street took it as a sign of a negative perception.

Well, that was known anyway, given that Perlmutter had previously tried to overthrow Disney’s Board of Directors.

Nobody would do that if they had a positive perception of a company.

Perlmutter’s Disney divorce should be a blessing, not something viewed as a curse…but here we are.

The Other Factors in Disney’s Big Month

More recently, the stock has recovered because – and I can’t believe I’m typing this – Deadpool & Wolverine did well.

Who didn’t see that coming? And are they currently suffering from a grievous head wound? It was that obvious and predictable.

Still, Wall Street seemingly changes its opinion of Disney on any random whim, which explains why this is such a big month.

Where will Disney be at the end of August? Remarkably, another factor we haven’t even discussed yet will impact the stock.

Disney holds its quarterly earnings report on August 7^th. That’ll be before the D23 parks panel, but it’ll likely affect Disney more.

Doomsayers seemingly come out of the woodwork to speak ill of Disney at the first sign of trouble.

So, a shaky earnings report could cause yet another price fall. Given the Inside Out 2 factor, I don’t expect that, but…

Look, this is a tense, exciting month at Disney. It’s gonna be Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride for a bit.

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Feature Photo: Disney