Disney News: Earnings, Park Attendance, and Tomorrowland Rumors

Disney's Latest Earnings Call

• 📊 Disney's earnings call revealed that revenue increased due to more expensive tickets, but domestic park attendance was down.
• 📈 Hotel occupancy was reported as up 3%, a point of surprise given anecdotal evidence of a softer July 4th weekend.
• ⚠️ The earnings period concluded on July 2nd, meaning the impact of the July 4th weekend will be reflected in the next report.

Disney's Gaming and Digital Ventures

• 🎮 Disney announced the shutdown of Disney Infinity, taking a $147 million write-down, shortly before the massive success of Pokémon Go.
• 💡 The company explored augmented reality with a Haunted Mansion app, but user feedback suggested a desire for more straightforward fun over "homework."
• 📉 Past ventures like Vinylmation and pins are cited as examples where Disney oversaturated the market, alienating collectors by pushing for excessive growth.

Film Performance and Layoffs

• 🎬 Captain America: Civil War and The Jungle Book performed well, contributing positively to the quarter's financial results.
• 💔 Alice Through the Looking Glass, a sequel to a billion-dollar film, significantly underperformed, grossing less than a third of its production budget.
• 📉 Layoffs were announced at Walt Disney Imagineering following the opening of Shanghai Disneyland, a common practice after major project completions.

Theme Park and Franchise News

• ⚡ NBC Universal secured cable rights for the Harry Potter movies and the upcoming Fantastic Beasts trilogy, impacting Disney's previous broadcast strategy.
• 🏰 Rumors suggest changes to Tomorrowland, potentially replacing Stitch's Great Escape with a Wreck-It Ralph-themed racing attraction.
• 💡 There's speculation that characters from Figment and the Dreamfinder might also appear in Tomorrowland, aligning with the area's existing aesthetic.