Disney Earnings: ‘Moana 2’ Propels Disney to a Strong First Quarter
The Walt Disney Company delivered its FY2025 first quarter earnings report this morning, and the company has reason to celebrate. Disney managed to exceed Wall Street’s expectations for revenue, profit, and earnings per share, and Disney Experiences delivered strong results.
However, combining the report, it is clear that Disney Entertainment was the big winner. As we reported earlier, Disney streaming continued to turn a profit, even as Disney+ lost 700,000 subscribers.
Buoyed by Moana 2‘s historic success, Disney Entertainment increased its operating income by $536 million year over year.
Photo: Disney
“The improvement in operating results was due to higher theatrical distribution results reflecting the strong performance of ‘Moana 2’ in the current quarter,” Disney explained. “The current quarter also included ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ and the prior-year quarter included ‘The Marvels’ and ‘Wish.’”
Photo: Disney
To better understand that number, we have to go back to the first quarter of FY 2024.
Disney’s FY2024 Got Off to a Disastrous Start
One year ago, Disney Entertainment reported -$224 million in operating income due to the twin failures of The Marvels and Wish. As a whole, 2023 was a disaster for Disney at the box office, and many wondered if the studio had lost its golden touch.
Photo: Marvel
Thankfully, 2024 was a triumphant comeback for the studio. The year was capped off by Moana 2, which sailed into theaters over Thanksgiving and eventually grossed north of $1 billion.
Even though Moana 2 was released at the end of 2024, it fell within the first quarter of Disney’s FY2025.
Photo: Disney
After 100 years of storytelling, movies remain at the heart of Disney’s business. As last quarter showed, all it takes is one blockbuster to make all the difference.
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