Disney just made two SURPRISING announcements!
Disney World
The Walt Disney Company recently held its third-quarter earnings call for fiscal year 2023 and released an earnings report as well. CEO Bob Iger talked about the Hollywood writer and actor strikes, the new ESPN betting service, and a new Disney+/Hulu Duo Bundle, among several other topics. There were quite a few announcements that we were already expecting, but two announcements really surprised us!
Iger Commented on Disney Potentially Selling to Apple
One of the most surprising moments of the whole earnings call was when an investor asked Bob Iger if Disney could be sold to a larger tech company — a question that clearly referenced the “Disney is selling to Apple” rumors that resurfaced (again) recently. Disney doesn’t usually respond to these rumors, but Iger was willing to at least answer the question, although he didn’t give a definitive “yes” or “no.”
©Apple
In response, Iger said, “I just am not going to speculate about the potential for Disney to be acquired by any company.” It’s not a hard “no,” but Iger is definitely staying quiet about the potential for future mergers.
He went on to point out that the “global regulatory environment” needs to be considered and stated that the potential acquisition is “not something we obsess about.” Iger concluded, “I’ll say no more than that.”
©Apple
Could Iger sell Disney to Apple? It’s certainly not out of the question.
Don’t forget that Apple and Disney have a long history. Iger acquired Pixar from Apple in 2006. Steve Jobs was part of Disney’s Board of Directors for several years, and Bob Iger served on the Apple Board of Directors. In his memoir The Ride of a Lifetime, Iger communicates mutual respect between himself and Jobs and states that they not only worked together but were also close friends. In the same book, Iger wrote, “I believe that if Steve were still alive, we would have combined our companies, or at least discussed the possibility very seriously.”
©PAUL SAKUMA/A.P. PHOTO (Obtained via Vanity Fair)
Needham & Co. analyst Laura Martin predicted that Disney could be purchased as soon as within the next three years (Hollywood Reporter). Martin suggests that “Disney could give Apple the catalyst it needs to drive adoption of its forthcoming Vision Pro augmented reality headset.”
Click here to learn more about the possibility of Disney selling to Apple.
Disney Admitted that Hotel Bookings and Park Attendance Are Down
First things first — we aren’t surprised that hotel bookings and park attendance are down at Disney World. We’ve noticed that, for a while now, the parks feel emptier than usual. Those summer break crowds just haven’t been as bad as we expected! So the fact that attendance is down isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that Disney finally acknowledged this.
Crowds were sparse this morning
So far this summer, we’ve seen low crowds at Disney World, which may have contributed to more ticket discounts being announced, as well as some hotel discounts looking forward to the holidays.
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Disney confirmed the lower-than-usual crowds in the earnings report, which states that there was a decrease in operating income at the U.S. parks. This was attributed to lower attendance in the parks and a decrease in unit sales for the Disney Vacation Club.
Disney Vacation Club Kiosk
Disney World experienced higher operating costs and smaller crowds, and the accelerated depreciation of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (which will be permanently closing soon) didn’t help. The company noted that the number of occupied room nights at the resort’s hotels was down as well.
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Note that on the West Coast, Disneyland saw higher attendance and increased guest spending. However, that was largely offset by higher costs driven by inflation.
Click here to learn why Bob Iger isn’t worried that Disney World seems empty.
Want to learn more about Disney’s recent announcements? Check out these posts:
- 3 Things That Were MISSING from Disney’s Huge News Drop
- NEWS on Disney CEO Bob Iger’s “Number One Priority”
- A NEW Disney+ and Hulu Bundle Is Coming Soon!
- DATE ANNOUNCED for Disney+ Price Increase
- Disney CEO Bob Iger Comments on New ESPN Sports Betting Service
Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on all the latest Disney news.
Click here to learn why September 15th will be a BIG day in Disney World.
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What surprised you in Disney’s recent announcement? Let us know in the comments.
The post The 2 Most Surprising Announcements from Disney’s Huge News Drop first appeared on the disney food blog.