Land agreements, layoffs, and lawsuits. It’s been a busy couple of months for The Walt Disney Company. As we wait for the upcoming earnings call on May 10th, many Disney fans are sitting on the edge of their seats and waiting for some BIG Disney news.
The sky was a paid actor in this shot.
During previous earnings calls, we’ve seen announcements for new movies, new theme park experiences, and so much more. You never know what kind of news bombs could drop! While we wait for the official earnings call, we can speculate on what could be shared this May. Could we get some new attractions? New dining? Let’s talk about it.
While Disney CEO Bob Iger will likely address a range of topics during the earnings call, there are a few subjects Disney execs consistently discuss at these types of conferences.
1. Disney+ Update
Since this is an earnings call, we expect to get some updates on (you guessed it) the company’s earnings. Disney+ has been a point of interest lately due to the streaming platform’s falling subscriber count.
©Disney
At the last earnings call, we learned that the Disney+ subscriber count dropped between October 2022 and December 2022. Last year, Disney reported some huge losses in its streaming business (we’re talking nearly $1.5 BILLION as of November 2022). Despite the fact that Disney launched a cheaper ad-supported Disney+ tier, the company still saw an overall loss in subscribers.
©Disney
In the past, we’ve seen the Disney+ subscriber base continue to grow quarter over quarter, so it was interesting to see the tide start to turn on Disney+. With the upcoming earnings call, we hope to find out more information about the current Disney+ user base.
Click here to learn more about the falling Disney+ subscriber count
2. Theme Park Data
While the last earnings call addressed some bad news on the streaming front, the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products division reported BIG earnings. Disney reported that revenue for Parks & Experiences in Q1 2023 was $8.7 billion — a 21% increase.
What will Disney reveal this month?
With that in mind, could we see MORE increases this quarter? Between the rising cost of Genie+ and new guest offerings (TRON Lightcycle / Run, for example), all signs are pointing towards increased profit, though we’ll have to wait and see what Disney says.
Tower of Terror
Typically, Disney execs have explained that the increase in revenue comes from “higher volumes and increased guest spending, and increased costs for new guest offerings.” By “new guest offerings,” they’re talking in part about Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. If prices keep rising and people keep coming to the Disney parks, it seems like Disney could continue to see profits soar.
Click here to learn more about the previous earnings in the Parks division
Of course, there are a few wild card topics we might hear about as well, including the Figment character meet and greet coming soon to EPCOT, an update on the search for Bob Iger’s successor, or maybe some news on Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana. As we said, you just never know what Disney will discuss! In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.
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Despite all the complaints about the high prices at Disney, people are still going and spending.
The announcement I want most to see is the end of the park reservation system. I want to determine which park I visit on that day based on weather, how I feel, and where I wish to dine.
We as well would like to revert back to the days when WE chose when and where we would spend our time based on weather and how we felt and what we wanted to see or experience on any given day! That was a perk of being a Florida resident.The spontaneity was half the fun!
Hum, Pandemic over, 50th over, Park attendance at a five year low last two weeks. I believe Disney may have caught up to itself and people are not seeking more value for their buck. Not at over priced Disney Hotels and money grabbing Theme Parks.
Tired of Disney telling me which ride I can rider and which park I can attend. I will not be going again until they go back to the good old days of show up, stand in line, ride the rides you want!