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Globe and Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Is Disney Stock a Buy After Record Box Office Weekend? Jim Cramer Thinks So.
Jim Cramer, famed television personality and host of the popular CNBC show 'Mad Money,' has come out in favor of Disney (DIS). Cramer believes the entertainment giant, after a rough patch, is poised for a rebound thanks to the unexpected success of Lilo & Stitch, the live-action remake of the beloved 2002 animated classic. The movie made a spectacular Memorial Day weekend with a $183 million domestic box-office haul, and Disney reported on May 27 that it had earned $361.3 million worldwide to date, leading to Disney becoming the first studio to crossed $2 billion in collections at the global box office in 2025. However, amid all the excitement, DIS stock is still flat on a YTD basis, with a market cap of $200.5 billion. So, is Cramer's optimism around the 'House of the Mouse' justified or should investors make a beeline for the stock? Let's find out. Disney Posts Solid Q2 Results Since CEO Bob Iger's return to the helm, Disney's operations have stabilized, with revenue and earnings experiencing compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 7.1% and 43.8%, respectively. The strong showing continued in the most recent quarter as well with Disney reporting a beat on both revenue and earnings. Revenue grew by 6.8% from the previous year to $23.6 billion, and the company moved into profitability in Q2 2025 with EPS of $1.81 compared to a loss of $0.01 per share in the year-ago period. All the key revenue segments of the company clocked growth, with the Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences segments growing by 9%, 5% and 6% on a year-over-year basis to $10.7 billion, $4.5 billion and $8.9 billion, respectively. Moreover, Disney+ saw its total paid subscribers rise to 126 million from 124.6 million in the prior year with an improvement in monthly revenue per paid subscriber to $7.77 from $7.55 in the same period. Disney's cash flow from operations for the quarter stood at $9.9 billion (vs $5.8 billion in Q2 2024), with free cash flow rising to $5.6 billion from $3.3 billion in the prior year. Analysts project forward revenue and earnings growth rates of 3.99% and 61.75% for Disney, which are ahead of the sector medians of 3.18% and 11.13%, respectively. Core Drivers The primary reason Disney has become a focus of investor enthusiasm is its ambitious blueprint to expand across physical entertainment destinations and interactive digital experiences. A major component of this strategy is the company's decision to establish its next flagship theme park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. This forthcoming resort will become Disney's seventh such complex and, according to Josh D'Amaro, who leads Disney Experiences, it is poised to be the most advanced and interactive project the company has ever developed. While no opening date has been disclosed, the announcement alone marks a significant step in Disney's global growth efforts. Alongside international expansion, substantial updates are also planned for Disney's domestic parks. In Anaheim, the Avengers-themed zone will see considerable growth, while a new Avatar-based experience is set to be introduced at California Adventure. In Florida, Magic Kingdom will unveil an entire area focused on classic Disney villains, and Animal Kingdom will debut a new Indiana Jones narrative. Additions are also coming to other corners of the Walt Disney World Resort, including a Monsters, Inc.-inspired space at Hollywood Studios and a new extension in Frontierland featuring characters and themes from the Cars franchise. Simultaneously, Disney is investing heavily in gaming and digital realms. Through a $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games, the company has laid the groundwork for an entirely new entertainment universe inspired by Fortnite. This initiative will incorporate beloved Disney franchises such as Star Wars and Marvel, with Epic's Unreal Engine serving as the backbone for game development and immersive storytelling. Beyond content creation, the company is actively restructuring its streaming and media business to drive efficiency and monetization. One major move involves integrating its three streaming services — Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — into a singular platform that emphasizes user customization and value-oriented bundling. Disney also intends to bring ESPN directly to consumers via a new standalone product in the coming months. In parallel, the company is finalizing a transaction that will see Hulu + Live TV combine with fuboTV in a multibillion-dollar deal, resulting in Disney holding a 70% stake in the newly merged streaming service. Taken together, these moves reflect a broader strategic vision — one that merges Disney's strengths in storytelling, technology, and global brand loyalty. With physical expansion complementing innovation in digital engagement and content distribution, Disney is setting the stage not only for continued financial growth but for deeper consumer interaction with its franchises. For shareholders, the convergence of theme park development, gaming ventures, and streaming integration paints a compelling picture of a company aligning its core assets to meet evolving consumer demands and unlock long-term value. Analyst Opinions on DIS Stock Overall, analysts have attributed a rating of 'Strong Buy' for Disney stock with a mean target price of $125.73, which denotes an upside potential of about 12% from current levels. Out of 29 analysts covering the stock, 21 have a 'Strong Buy' rating, two have a 'Moderate Buy' rating, and six have a 'Hold' rating.
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Too far left': Disney boss urges The View hosts to cool off political chatter
GOP Pollster and Messaging Strategist Brent Buchanan has weighed in on Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger reportedly asking The View hosts to tone down their political commentary. 'When you look at the broad spectrum of what Americans want, is they want to be more in the centre or actually not political at all,' Mr Buchanan told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power. 'The View … are realising that they have pulled the pendulum way too far to the left.'
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The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
ABC bosses urged The View to tone down its Trump-bashing. But are Whoopi & Co. listening?
In the days since it was reported that the top executives at ABC News and its parent company Disney urged The View to tone down its politics, the largely Trump-bashing hosts of the daytime talk show have only grown more strident with their rhetoric. At times, it's even seemed like the show's panelists — specifically long-running moderator Whoopi Goldberg and outspoken Never Trumper Ana Navarro — have made a point of defying the corporate request to pull back on their politically charged commentary. 'You know, people always want us to be respectful and do the things and talk about the stuff we talk about. We can do all of that,' Goldberg exclaimed last Thursday, holding up a pocket Constitution while condemning the president for accepting a luxury jet from Qatar. 'But when you are blatantly giving the country the middle finger, that is blatant,' she added. 'You're not supposed to do that!' Navarro, who recently spoke to Disney chief Bob Iger about the show's political tone and coverage, wasted no time going after Trump this week after returning from the Memorial Day break. 'If Joe Biden said that, we'd be talking about his cognitive skills and cognitive decline for days,' she said after the show aired a clip of Trump flubbing the word 'cryptologic' during a recent speech. 'You know, he calls the way he speaks the weave, I call the thing on his head the weave.' That was just one small blip, meanwhile, in a lengthy opening segment on Tuesday that focused intently on Trump using his Memorial Day speech and soxcial media post to attack and slam his political rivals. And much as she did on a few days prior, Goldberg appeared to deliver a not-so-subtle message to the C-suite about the editorial direction of the show. 'Whatever it is, it's on us. We have work to do,' she proclaimed to applause from the in-studio audience. 'We have to get out and make sure we put the balance back into this country.' Meanwhile, Wednesday's broadcast represented the third straight episode in which The View kicked off with a lengthy segment tearing into Trump and his administration, this time over the president issuing a pardon to reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley. The MAGA-backing couple, whose daughter spoke at the Republican National Convention, were convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022 for defrauding community banks of $30 million in fraudulent loans. And at the end of the A-block on the show, Goldberg once again waved around her pocket Constitution while chastising the Trump White House, all while suggesting it is a moral imperative that the show call out the actions of this president. 'When you want to know 'does this pass the smell test,' all you've got to do is check it out here. See, because there are things you don't do in America that we — the Constitution says it. It's not us saying it. It's saying we don't do this in America,' she exclaimed. 'I get that your whole family has figured out a way to make money from the country. I get it. OK. That's what you do,' Goldberg continued. 'That's what you've always done. What I don't like is that you get pi**y with other people doing the same thing. Either it's not good for everybody, or it's good for everybody. Somebody make up their mind!' The Independent has reached out to ABC News for comment. The impassioned anti-Trump screeds, of course, are nothing new on this show. In fact, it has become a feature for the better part of a decade, even when Joe Biden occupied the White House for four years. Additionally, the past week's new shows have continued the basic format that has been in place in recent months. While the show typically leads off with a 'Hot Topic' centered on political news, the rest of the program tends to feature a variety of other issues that the panel tackles. For instance, on Wednesday's telecast, the Chrisley segment was followed by discussions centering on drama with a Real Housewives cast member and Gen Z taking 'adulting' classes, alongside interviews with Julianne Moore and Ashley Tisdale. However, with Trump back in the White House, and Disney welcoming him back into office by paying him $15 million to settle his lawsuit over Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos' inaccurate on-air assertion that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll, the media landscape has suddenly shifted. Now, the massive conglomerates and mega-billionaires who control the legacy media have shown their willingness to cozy up and capitulate to a temperamental commander-in-chief who has made attacking the free press a hallmark of his new administration. It is within this current environment that ABC News chief Almin Karamehmedovic and Disney boss Bob Iger asked the outspoken hosts of The View, which Trump and his allies have long complained about, to tone down the political tenor of the show and lean more into general interest coverage and celebrity interviews. 'The move was not framed as an edict, one source said, but the suggestion alone rankled the hosts,' the Daily Beast reported about the meeting Karamehmedovic had with the show's stars and executive producer, which featured him pointing out the celebrity guest who drew high ratings. 'The group pushed back forcefully, with hosts like Navarro noting the show's audience routinely seeks out its perspective on politics, especially when the administration's radical attempts to upend the government can potentially affect their daily lives,' the Beast added. A source familiar with the matter told The Independent that the network 'constantly has conversations with talent based on viewer feedback, and this instance was no different,' adding that the meeting was merely 'about balance in the show on topics' and not necessarily 'talking about Trump.' While the meeting wasn't framed as an edict, and the hosts reportedly found Karamehmedovic's request to tamp down the politics 'silly' since it would 'look kind of bad' to their audience, the issue remained a sticking point for Navarro. She would eventually broach the subject with Iger, whom she ran into during Disney's recent upfront advertiser presentation. After Navarro thanked him for allowing the hosts to continue to do 'their job in a politically turbulent environment,' the Beast reported, Iger said that while he does support The View, he 'reaffirmed that the show needed to tone down its political rhetoric.' The conversation with Navarro revealed that the 'suggestion to tone down the politics went all the way to the top.' And though the corporate effort to tamp down the political coverage could very well be nothing more than an attempt to find the right balance for a talk show to broaden its viewership, it is impossible not to view it through the lens of the current administration's war against the media – which includes ABC. Despite Disney's settlement on the Stephanopulos interview, the president has continued to rail against the news network. Earlier this month, he fumed at an 'ABC fake news' reporter for grilling him on the luxury jet that the Qatari royal family gifted him. 'Let me tell you, you should be embarrassed asking that question,' he growled. Days later, he would threaten to sue ABC News over the way the network has reported on the $400 million jumbo jet from Qatar, wondering why Iger doesn't 'do something about ABC Fake News' while referencing his previous defamation suit against the network. Trump is also in talks to settle a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS News over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, even though legal experts have called the complaint frivolous and the network itself says it is 'completely without merit.' However, because the network's corporate parent Paramount is looking to complete a mega-merger with Skydance that it needs the administration to approve, Paramount chair Shari Redstone has urged the board to settle with Trump to push the deal through. The potential payment to Trump has resulted in the resignations of CBS News chief Wendy McMahon and 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens, who made it clear they would not apologize as part of any settlement.
Geek Tyrant
3 days ago
- Business
- Geek Tyrant
THE MANDALORIAN Season 4 Might Not Happen; The Franchise's Fate Rests on Box Office Numbers — GeekTyrant
If you're a fan of The Mandalorian , you might want to sit down for this one. According to insider Daniel Richtman, The Mandalorian Season 4 might not be happening at all. The insider claims, 'there won't be a Season 4 of The Mandalorian ,' suggesting that Disney is pivoting away from episodic storytelling and leaning fully into theatrical territory. It's a shift that seems to align with Disney's evolving strategy for Lucasfilm and its overall approach to Star Wars . To be fair, the signs have been there. After The Mandalorian Season 3 wrapped in April 2023, development on Season 4 was delayed, and it was initially blamed on the dual Hollywood strikes. But during that downtime, Disney CEO Bob Iger started reshaping the company's streaming priorities. The result was a focus shifted to The Mandalorian & Grogu , a feature film that's now in the works and is expected to carry the torch for the franchise on the big screen. What happens next might all come down to box office performance. Richtman adds, 'There won't be a Season 4 of The Mandalorian , but if the movie succeeds, a sequel will be made. However, if it flops, it will serve as the final chapter for Mando and could also put [Dave] Filoni's movie at risk.' That's a lot riding on a single movie, not just for Din Djarin and Grogu, but potentially for the entire interconnected storyline Filoni has been crafting across Disney+. This is a pretty big change, especially considering how The Mandalorian practically built the foundation for Star Wars on streaming. It launched in 2019 and quickly became the face of Disney+, redefining how Star Wars stories could be told. It spun off characters, helped launch shows like Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett . Still, from Disney's point of view, theatrical might just make more financial sense right now. Moving major Star Wars titles to theaters could be an attempt to refocus the brand and boost profits in a crowded streaming landscape. But it's a gamble. Fans didn't invest teir time in three seasons of The Mandalorian just for it to be wrapped up with one movie. There's still a lot of emotional and narrative ground left to cover. So while nothing is officially confirmed, there's a chance we may have seen the last of The Mandalorian as a Disney+ series. Whether that's a savvy pivot or a major misstep depends entirely on how The Mandalorian & Grogu performs when it hits theaters. The Mandalorian & Grogu hits theaters May 22, 2026.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former ESPN host pushes back on Disney's Iger for reportedly urging 'The View' to tone down Trump talk
Former ESPN host Jemele Hill called out Disney boss Bob Iger on Saturday for reportedly urging "The View" to tone down their political rhetoric, which is almost always directed at slamming President Donald Trump and his administration. "Trump is obviously, again, using his position as president to put pressure on these media companies and I think a lot of them are capitulating and feeling that pressure, because they have things and business deals and things on the side that they want to happen, that they want to do," Hill said during CNN's "Table for Five" discussion on Saturday, before suggesting it should be about ratings. "Do the ratings support that you should stop talking about Donald Trump? Probably not." Multiple Disney sources told The Daily Beast that both Iger and ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic recently suggested that the all-female daytime talk show panel be less antagonistic on political issues, though the recommendation was reportedly not taken too seriously. Co-host Anna Navarro reportedly pushed back the most forcefully on the suggestion. "If you are Bob Iger, who I do have a lot of respect for - he was my former boss. If you're him, that's the only thing that should matter, as long as the audience decides that they have an appetite for that, then that's what the women should talk about, whether you like how they discuss it or not," she added. Biden Tells 'The View' He Wasn't Surprised Harris Lost, Blames Sexism And Racism A source with "The View" confirmed to Fox News Digital these discussions were had, but suggested not all the hosts are in lockstep with Navarro. Read On The Fox News App "Most hosts agree with the ABC top brass," the source told Fox News Digital. "'The View' is a daytime network talk show and needs to do more than just politics and Trump bashing. This was a welcome direction for many of us." When asked whether "The View" will ultimately pivot towards less political coverage as the second Trump presidency continues, the source responded, "It's hard to say," but added, "Ignoring Bob Iger seems like a terrible decision." Another source familiar with the situation said such conversations with talent are normal based on viewer feedback, and that this conversation in particular is about finding a "balance" in topics and reevaluating politics in general, not just stories pertaining to Trump. On the panel, CNN political commentator S.E. Cupp spoke out against Trump's attack against media companies and acknowledged while she had issues with "The View," she was proud of the co-hosts for standing their ground. Other CNN panelists, such as Montel Williams, who previously hosted "The Montel Williams Show," said he largely benefited from avoiding politics on his podcasts. "When he's out of office, what are they going to talk about then?" Williams asked. "I do two podcasts, I try to stay off politics completely, and guess what? My ratings are up, my numbers are up." Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "I do think, like, people suffering from MS, people suffering from PTSD, I do things like that because I think that our nation needs to be engaged in other conversations than just what he's [Donald Trump] doing every day. Because talking about him every day, I'm glad the ladies pushed back, but I would like them to take a trip outside of 'The View,'" he added. Hill also worried about the message the reported pressure from Iger would send to younger journalists. "To see, and I know that they're not straight journalists necessarily on 'The View,' but it's still representing a journalism body, so if the business that you work for, and again you all know I went through this at ESPN, if they're not willing to defend you in this moment, that's really leaving you vulnerable, and it's really leaving our entire industry vulnerable," she said. Disney did not immediately return a request for comment. Fox News' Gabriel Hays & Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this article source: Former ESPN host pushes back on Disney's Iger for reportedly urging 'The View' to tone down Trump talk
