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Tag: Disney

  • Bob Iger says Disney would like to stay in India, looking to strengthen hand | TechCrunch

    Bob Iger says Disney would like to stay in India, looking to strengthen hand | TechCrunch

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    Bob Iger said Wednesday that Disney “would like to stay” in India and is considering its options in the world’s most populous country where its TV business continues to pull profit but the crown jewel streamer Hotstar is struggling to contain subscriber loss.

    Hotstar lost 2.8 million subscribers in the quarter ending September, widening its overall loss to about 23 million in a year at a time when the firm continues to attract more consumers to Disney+. Disney+ added nearly 7 million subscribers in the quarter, making its overall subscriber base top 150 million globally, including those from Hotstar.

    The glimmer of hope for Disney is that in the next quarter the company is likely to report a jump in Hotstar’s subscribers count, which currently sits at 37.6 million subscribers – and potentially have a new India partner.

    Hotstar has regained many subscribers and attracted tens of millions of non-paying users back to the platform as they follow the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup. The company is also inching closer to signing a deal with Reliance to sell the India business, according to Bloomberg, as it looks to pare down losses.

    Iger told analysts Wednesday that the company plans to slash $2 billion more in costs than previously planned as the firm narrows its losses in the streaming business. Disney has projected streaming profitability in about a year.

    Disney’s bigger business in India is the portfolio of a few dozen cable TV channels that it owns in the country. “Our linear business actually does quite well, it’s making money,” said Iger, who returned to Disney as its chief executive late last year, on the earnings call.

    “But we know that other parts of that business are challenged for us and for others. And we are looking, I’ll call it expansively,” he added. “We are considering our options there. We have an opportunity to strengthen our hand.”

    Reliance-backed Viacom18 spending more than $3 billion on cricket rights for a local, but very popular, cricket tournament has disrupted the Indian on-demand streaming market.

    India has emerged as a key market for global technology and entertainment giants in the past decade. But despite its ability to attract a large user base for online services, the country sees a relatively small fraction of these users converting to paying customers.

    “A few years ago, when we asked the International head of a large TV Network business about the company’s performance in India, the executive let out a long sigh and said that the Indian business somehow finds a way to break his heart every year,” MoffettNathanson wrote in a report.

    “We have also learned this first-hand during our time covering the many iterations of Fox/News Corp (FOXA, OP), which owned Star TV India. Despite promises of reaching $1 billion in EBITDA by 2020, the division always fell woefully short due to the constant need to re-invest in key cricket rights or mobile platform development.”

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    Manish Singh

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  • Bob Iger Says Next Month’s Beta Launch Of Combined Hulu-Disney+ App Will “Prepare Parents” For Union Of Spicy And Kiddie Fare

    Bob Iger Says Next Month’s Beta Launch Of Combined Hulu-Disney+ App Will “Prepare Parents” For Union Of Spicy And Kiddie Fare

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    Disney CEO Bob Iger says next month’s beta launch of a combined HuluDisney+ app will help acclimate families to the concept of Bluey being a couple of clicks away from American Horror Story.

    Speaking to Wall Street analysts on the company’s quarterly earnings call, Iger didn’t identify any specific programming or details about how the two services would be separated for parents who prefer that. He said he viewed a demo of the new dual service on Tuesday, announcing that it will launch in beta in December, with the full rollout due in March.

    “We are basically putting it in beta so that we can prepare parents, largely, to basically implement parental controls, because you’ll be able to access Hulu programming on the same app,” Iger said. Assuming those best practices are implemented and the tools work as intended, executives see opportunities in terms of “upsell capabilities, in terms of increasing engagement,” Iger continued. “We found that where we bundle, we lower churn. And again, these are steps that are all taken to make [streaming] a great business.”

    Disney last week confirmed it is buying Comcast’s one-third stake in Hulu, which will allow for more leverage in terms of pricing and bundling. Disney+ and Hulu are already part of a successful bundle with ESPN+, though the three are all still separate apps. In an interview with CNBC immediately before the earnings call, Iger called the Hulu consolidation “a great step for the company from a strategic perspective.” He added that it “gives us an opportunity to further connect the dots between Disney+ and Hulu.”

    Parental controls have been a key feature of Disney+ since it launched nearly four years ago. While it initially focused on the five pillars of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic and Disney-branded titles and was known for emphasizing families, it has also woven in R-rated fare like Deadpool and Logan.

    As far as the company’s overall streaming business, “the building blocks are in place,” Iger maintained on the earnings call. Disney still expects to turn a profit in streaming by the end of fiscal 2024, as it has asserted through many ups and downs. The company has stepped back from the aggressive subscriber targets it first issued in 2019 and then bumped up in 2020.

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  • Bob Iger on Disney’s Movie Woes: “We Lost Some Focus”

    Bob Iger on Disney’s Movie Woes: “We Lost Some Focus”

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    For years, Disney ruled the roost at the global box office, shattering one industry record after another. Now the company’s film empire is under pressure to rebound from a rough streak.

    Disney chief Bob Iger didn’t mince words when asked about the losing streak during Wednesday’s earnings call, although he did first have to remind investors that it hasn’t been all bad news, noting that four of the top 10 films in the past year came from the company, including Avatar: The Way of Water.

    “That said, as I looked at our overall output, meaning the studio, it’s clear that the pandemic created a lot of challenges creatively for everybody, including for us,” the media mogul said. “In addition, at the time the pandemic hit, we were leaning into a huge increase in how much we were making and I’ve always felt that quantity can be actually a negative when it comes to quality. And I think that’s exactly what happened. We lost some focus.”

    Iger was seemingly taking a swipe at his short-lived predecessor, Bob Chapek, for ramping up content production across TV and film. Historically, including for most of the time Iger was CEO the first go-around, the company’s film operation released far fewer titles than its rivals.

    Meanwhile, Disney’s performance at the box office is sure to be in the spotlight once again this weekend as The Marvels hits the big screen. If tracking is correct, the superhero pic could mark one of the worst openings ever for Marvel Studios.

    Iger — who didn’t mention The Marvels — said the task now is to focus on quality, and not quantity.

    “We’re all rolling up our sleeves, including myself, to do just that. We have obviously great assets, great stories to tell from the assets that we either have or that we purchased. And I feel really optimistic about the slate going forward, which is going to be a balance between some really strong sequels to some very, very popular titles, as well as some good original content, starting with Wish, which comes out Thanksgiving weekend,” he continued. “So I feel good about the direction we’re headed. But I’m mindful of the fact that our performance from a quality perspective wasn’t really up to the standards that we set for ourselves.”

    Recent high-profile misses for Disney include Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Haunted Mansion. And its animation studios hit troubled times in the pandemic era when several Pixar titles were sent straight to streaming in a move that critics say conditioned families to stay home, versus making a trip to the cinema.

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  • The Met Gala 2024 Theme, Explained

    The Met Gala 2024 Theme, Explained

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    Every year, on the first Monday in May, comes the most exclusive party of the year: The Met Gala.
    VogueEditor-In-Chief Anna Wintour hand-picks the creme-de-la-creme of the highest profile celebs — a coveted who’s who list of exciting new names and A-listers alike. Together, these celebs congregate at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art donning (literally) their Monday best.


    On the surface,
    the Met Gala is a fundraising event hosted by Vogue to raise funds for the Met Museum’s Costume Institute. You have to be invited to attend (normally by a brand or by Anna herself), and what goes on inside the elusive Met Gala is one of fashion’s best-kept secrets. What happens at the Gala, truly stays at the Gala.

    @metmuseum DYK: When garments enter The Met collection, they can no longer be worn on the human body. So how can we understand the movement and energy of these masterpieces of fashion? This May, explore 250 pieces from The Met’s Costume Institute collection in “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” opening to the public on May 10 and celebrated at the 2024 Met Gala on May 6. Join us to see them spring to life. 🌿 🌸 🌊 #ReawakeningFashion #TheMetGala ♬ original sound – The Met

    Today, the buzz around the 2024 Met Gala officially begins with the announcement of the theme: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. And, like with
    any Met Gala theme, this needs a bit of explanation.

    What Does Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion Mean?

    In collaboration with the Costume Institute, every Met Gala also comes with an exhibit at the Met that’s curated to emulate the year’s theme. This year, 250 rare items from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection will be featured — including designs from Schiaparelli, Dior, and Givenchy.

    “Sleeping beauties” refers to the pieces that are so rare that they can only be worn once. Some of these “sleeping beauty” gowns, like an 1877 Charles Frederick Worth gown, will be shown via CGI and AI virtual showcasing.

    It’s an all-encompassing theme spanning over 400 years of fashion. The exhibit itself will have three “zones” dedicated to land, sea, and sky, according to Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in charge of the Costume Institute.

    What Can We Expect People To Wear At The 2024 Met Gala?

    While your mind may have gone straight to Disney’s
    Sleeping Beauty, the Met Gala is going to be leaning heavy into how fashion and nature coincide. These pieces on display have been sitting in the Met’s collection for eons, some can’t even be hung upright or they’ll disintegrate.

    Since many of these clothing artifacts were made with natural materials (like a bodice made from peas in a pod), you will expect to see this mimicked in attendees’ attire. Sure, there will be 1800s-inspired gowns and lace appliques…but remember: nature is emphasized.

    People are thinking of florals and birds, as the exhibit will feature both a black tulle dress embroidered with blackbirds and an Alexander McQueen jacket inspired by Alfred Hitchcocks’
    The Birds. But everything nature has to offer — nothing’s off the table! We might see snakes and leaves and everything in between.

    And while we don’t know the hosts, or the guests, quite yet…we’re looking forward to this theme and hope we can reawaken the excitement of the Met Gala after some lackluster showings in the past few years.

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    Jai Phillips

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  • Disney and Sundance Institute Team to Launch Finishing Fund for Historically Excluded Directors (Exclusive)

    Disney and Sundance Institute Team to Launch Finishing Fund for Historically Excluded Directors (Exclusive)

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    The Sundance Institute’s storied artist programs for directors from historically excluded backgrounds just added another major benefit.

    Nine narrative filmmakers have been chosen to receive a $25,000 unrestricted grant, courtesy of Sundance and The Walt Disney Studios’ new Project Advancement and Completion Fund, along with access to other Sundance programs such as the digital classroom Sundance Collab and professional development track Sundance Elevate.

    “Diverse communities often encounter formidable barriers when striving to break into the industry,” Sundance Institute founding senior director of artist programs Michelle Satter said in a statement. “We are thrilled to join forces with The Walt Disney Studios to champion the essential work of nurturing underrepresented voices. We’re honored to create this pioneering program in support of nine exceptional filmmakers during the inaugural year of this initiative.”

    Added Mahin Ibrahim, director of Creative Talent Pathways, representation and inclusion strategies at Disney, “After working with several Sundance filmmakers, we know how important it is for directors to develop their first independent feature films in order to take on larger projects at the studio level. At Disney, we believe in the power of diverse voices and storytelling, and this initiative reaffirms our commitment to empowering underrepresented talent in the industry.”

    The nine inaugural grantees are:

    Ramzi Bashour, a New York-based Syrian American filmmaker whose project Tomahawk Springs is about a teenage boy on a cross-country road trip with his Lebanese mother.

    Dania Bdeir, a Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker whose first feature, Pigeon Wars, was selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.

    Caledonia Curry, a contemporary artist whose project, Sibylant Sisters, takes place in the world of ogres, gnomes, toads, paper dolls, witches and magic.

    Rashad Frett, a New York-based Caribbean American filmmaker whose project Ricky is about a formerly incarcerated man looking to regain a sense of normalcy in life.

    Masami Kawai, a Los Angeles-born descendant of Japan’s Ryukyu Islands whose feature, Valley of Tall Grass, follows a discarded TV/VCR combo set as it passes through the hands of various working-class Indigenous people in an Oregon town.

    Walter Thompson-Hernández, a southeast Los Angeles native who is adapting his Sundance Film Festival-winning short If I Go Will They Miss Me, about a 12-year-old boy who sees mysterious people, into a feature.

    Sean Wang, a Bay Area-based filmmaker whose project Dìdi (弟弟) is a coming-of-age story set in his Fremont hometown in 2008.

    Keisha Rae Witherspoon, a Miami-born filmmaker whose first feature, ABC, is a mystery involving a hurricane, possible extraterrestrial life and an ex-government operative.

    Yuan Yuan, an NYU Tisch Grad Film alumna whose project Late Spring is about a Chinese factory worker who comes to New York for her daughter’s college graduation and discovers that the girl is missing.

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  • Disney 100 Quiz Answers for TikTok Game (Today, Nov 5)

    Disney 100 Quiz Answers for TikTok Game (Today, Nov 5)

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    Here are the Disney 100 quiz answers for today, Nov 5. This guide provides players with all five of the answers to the TikTok quiz. While it doesn’t actually matter whether you get the answers right or wrong, as you still get the two-card reward, some players want to get them all right. Here are all of the Disney100 questions and answers for November 5, 2023.

    All Disney 100 quiz answers for Nov 5

    1. How long is Castaway Creek at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park?
    2. What metal is used to create new armor for Din Djarin in The Mandalorian?
    3. What year did Disney+ launch?
    4. What is the name of the famed music studio on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith?
    5. What type of background art was used in Lilo & Stitch?

    Today’s quiz puts players’ real-world knowledge of one of Disney’s water parks and a roller coaster to the test. Then there are some tough questions about The Mandalorian and Lilo & Stitch. Finally, a player’s knowledge of Disney’s streaming platform, Disney+, is put to the test.

    It’s worth noting that it doesn’t really matter if you get any of the answers wrong, as the game still provides you with two Character Cards. Getting them right is only a bonus and doesn’t actually result in any additional rewards. Of course, getting five out of five correct without the aid of a guide is mighty impressive!

    Come back tomorrow when we’ll have the next day’s batch of Disney 100 questions and answers. With the wide variety of topics that these quizzes are based around, you’re surely going to need a helping hand. Thankfully, we make it easy by immediately answering the new questions as soon as they go live.

    For more Disney 100 guides, here’s when the daily activities refresh each day. Also, here’s how to get all 18 Character Cards quickly.

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    Mack Ashworth

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  • Disney 100 Quiz Answers for TikTok Game (Today, Nov 4)

    Disney 100 Quiz Answers for TikTok Game (Today, Nov 4)

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    These are the Disney 100 quiz answers for today, Nov 4. This guide provides players with all five of the answers to the TikTok quiz. While it doesn’t actually matter whether you get the answers right or wrong, as you still get the two-card reward, some players want to get them all right. Here are all of the Disney100 questions and answers for November 4, 2023.

    All Disney 100 quiz answers for Nov 4

    1. How tall is Woody when he’s wearing a hat?
    2. Which attraction DIDN’T debut at the 1964 World’s Fair?
    3. Who is the current chairman of the Imagination Institute?
    4. Where is the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located?
    5. In what city does Austin & Ally take place?

    Today’s questions put players’ knowledge of the Toy Story hero, Wood, to the test. Specifically, his height, which could prove to be challenging. Then there are two questions about real-life locations: the 1964 World’s Fair and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Then there are two tough questions: one is about the current chairman of the Imagination Institute, while the other is about Austin & Ally.

    It’s worth noting that it doesn’t really matter if you get any of the answers wrong, as the game still provides you with two Character Cards. Getting them right is only a bonus and doesn’t actually result in any additional rewards. Of course, getting five out of five correct without the aid of a guide is mighty impressive!

    Come back tomorrow when we’ll have the next day’s batch of Disney 100 questions and answers. With the wide variety of topics that these quizzes are based around, you’re surely going to need a helping hand. Thankfully, we make it easy by immediately answering the new questions as soon as they go live.

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    Mack Ashworth

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  • Episode 5 of ‘Loki’ Proves This Season Was Leading Up to Being All About Loki After All | The Mary Sue

    Episode 5 of ‘Loki’ Proves This Season Was Leading Up to Being All About Loki After All | The Mary Sue

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    Tom Hiddleston as Loki standing with the team

    A fairly good complaint of Loki season 2 up through episode 4 was that the show wasn’t focused on Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Well, that all changed with episode 5 “Science/Fiction” and for the better.

    Spoilers for Loki season 2 episode 5 lie ahead, beware!

    For a show called Loki, there were a lot of moving parts that kept him out of the limelight. We had to deal with the branching timelines and the Temporal Loom becoming overpowered. We had new characters to meet. Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) were both dealing with things that were separate from their time with Loki. So when it came down to it, he just wasn’t a focal point. It didn’t mean that Loki wasn’t the main character, it just wasn’t what the show needed to have as a center piece time and time again.

    So whenever a complaint would roll in from fans that the show wasn’t about our God of Mischief anymore, we couldn’t really pushback about it. Because it wasn’t. It was about the Time Variance Authority first and foremost. But all of that changed when “Science/Fiction” came into play. Episode 5 really took this idea of the world without the TVA and made Loki the most important figure in it and showed us all that he is who we need to trust.

    He is, after all, the God of Stories. Frankly, it was worth the wait to have an absolutely incredible episode of television that gave Loki all the agency in his own story and gave him the ability to bring his team back together completely on his own and in his own time. With the help of O.B. (Ke Huy Quan) of course but it was still Loki and his journey that took us back to the start.

    As Coldplay once said, oh take me back to the start

    Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Ke Huy Quan as OB standing
    (Disney+)

    Loki coming into his powers was great. Watching him take us back to the start of everything to try and fix it was incredible but what really just clicked was knowing that he is in control of it all. Loki should be the star of his own show. To see that he’s the one controlling it? That’s epic. It also fixes the complaint that I also was beginning to side with. Not that I didn’t trust what was happening with the series, I did more than most. But I did wonder what was going on with Loki that we kept seeing him side-lined for other storylines.

    Knowing now that it was so he could have this moment, when he gained the power to control his time slipping and control the narrative? To see how the lack of Loki in the first half of the season was all leading up to not only one of the best episodes of the season as a whole but so that we could have such an incredible pay off with it? It just really made it all worth it.

    This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the work being covered here wouldn’t exist.

    (featured image: Disney+)

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    Rachel Leishman

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  • ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ Director Says Disney Execs Were ‘Afraid It Might Hurt Their Brand’: It ‘Would’ve Been More Successful’ With Studio Name on It

    ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ Director Says Disney Execs Were ‘Afraid It Might Hurt Their Brand’: It ‘Would’ve Been More Successful’ With Studio Name on It

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    Henry Selick and Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is officially 30 years old. In a recent interview with The New York Times, the two collaborators recalled Disney not wanting to have its name on the project due to its darker tone. The studio had the film developed under its more adult-leaning production banner Touchstone Pictures. “Nightmare” grossed $50 million in its original domestic box office run, but Selick believes the film would’ve performed even better had Disney put its name behind it.

    “Anytime you’re doing something like that, which was unknown: stop motion, the main character doesn’t have any eyeballs and it’s all music, what’s to feel comfortable about?” Burton said, noting that he totally understands why Disney didn’t put its full name behind the project. “Of course they would be nervous about it.”

    “They were afraid it might hurt their brand,” Selick added. “If they had put the Disney name on it right then, it would’ve been much more successful, but I understand it just didn’t feel anything like their other animated films.”

    While Burton often gets the credit for “Nightmare,” it was Selick who was the actual director. Burton cracked the story, co-produced the film and came up with character designs, but Selick helmed the picture. The filmmaker told AV Club last year that he is a bit tired of the misconception that “Nightmare” is Burton’s film, although he has made his peace with it.

    “That was a little unfair because it wasn’t called ‘Tim Burton’s Nightmare’ until three weeks before the film came out. And I would have been fine with that, if that’s what I signed up for,” Selick said. “But Tim was in L.A. making two features while I directed that film, and I mean, Tim is a genius — or he certainly was in his most creative years. I always thought his story was perfect, and he designed the main characters. But it was really me and my team of people who brought that to life.”

    “Now, of course, if you ask Danny Elfman, well, that’s his movie,” Selick continued. “When we finished the film, it was so funny because he came up to me and shook my hand. ‘Henry, you’ve done a wonderful job illustrating my songs!’ And he was serious, and I loved it! Fine. But my thing was I’m going to hang in there long enough to where people actually say, ‘Oh, that guy Henry, he does stuff.’”

    In a recent interview with People magazine, Selick shared his idea for a potential “Nightmare” prequel. “There might be a more interesting story there about how Jack became the King of Halloweentown,” he said.

    As for a sequel, Selick explained that the large amount of work isn’t what would deter him from creating a follow-up — rather, he just believes “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is “a perfect movie [that] came out of the perfect time, only to grow into something far bigger over the years.”

    “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is now available to stream on Disney+. A re-release is also currently playing in theaters.

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  • Disney to take full control of Hulu for about $8.6 billion to further ‘streaming objectives’

    Disney to take full control of Hulu for about $8.6 billion to further ‘streaming objectives’

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    Walt Disney Co. said it will acquire a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for approximately $8.6 billion, a deal that will give Disney undisputed control of the streaming service. Disney has actually run Hulu since 2019, when Comcast ceded its authority to Disney and effectively became a silent partner.

    Disney offered no comment beyond saying the acquisition will “further Disney’s streaming objectives.”

    Hulu began in 2007 and quickly evolved into as a service backed by entertainment conglomerates who hoped to stave off the internet with an online platform for their own TV shows. Disney joined in 2009, planning to offer shows from ABC, ESPN and the Disney Channel. A decade later, Disney gained majority control of the business when it acquired 21st Century Fox.

    Disney has treated Hulu as one of its own services for years — for instance, when it launched its own streaming service, Disney+, in 2019 and immediately offered a streaming bundle that included Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.

    More recently, amid increasing pressure on streaming services brought on by untrammeled expansion, low prices and widespread password sharing, Disney has promised its own crackdown on non-paying users and raised prices for ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu by 20% to 27%. CEO Bob Iger said in August that the increases were designed to steer consumers toward cheaper ad-supported versions of those channels, whose subscription prices did not change.

    The advertising market for streaming is “picking up,” Iger said at the time, noting that it’s healthier than traditional TV ads. “We’re obviously trying with our pricing strategy to migrate more subs to the advertising supported tier.”

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    David Hamilton, The Associated Press

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  • Disney reaches $8.6 billion deal with Comcast to fully acquire Hulu

    Disney reaches $8.6 billion deal with Comcast to fully acquire Hulu

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    Hulu, Disney+ to increase streaming costs


    Hulu and Disney+ set to raise streaming prices again

    03:09

    The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday announced it will buy Comcast’s $8.6 billion stake in Hulu, completing its takeover of the streaming service.

    The acquisition will “further Disney’s streaming objectives,” the company said in a press release, and comes as it strives to boost subscriber numbers at its Disney+ streaming service.

    The deal values Hulu at $27.5 billion in total, according to Disney, which said the transaction will be concluded by Dec. 1.

    In 2019, Disney reached a deal with Comcast to acquire a majority stake in Hulu, leaving Comcast with a 33% stake in Hulu. The deal required Disney to buy the stake as early as Jan. 2024 or sell its stake for fair market value at that time.

    The California-based entertainment giant already sells Hulu as part of bundled offerings with its Disney+ and ESPN+ platforms.

    The company will release its latest quarterly earnings next week, providing a look at how its cable and streaming television services are doing in the fiercely competitive market.

    Disney in August reported that Disney+ lost more than 10 million subscribers in the recently ended quarter, in large part due to the Indian market.

    Disney+ finished the second three months of this year with 146.1 million subscribers, compared with just shy of 158 million in the prior quarter, the group said.

    Disney rival Netflix last month said subscriber numbers grew nearly 11 percent to 247 million in the recently ended quarter as it cracked down on password sharing and refined an ad-supported tier.

    The leading streaming service increased prices on some of its plans, perhaps creating an opportunity for competitors such as Disney.

    Netflix said in an earnings report that its nascent ad-supported offering was gaining traction, and the coming Disney earnings should provide insight into whether the same is true for its ad-supported tier.

    Meanwhile, film and television makers see productions halted by the Screen Actors Guild strike, meaning a potential lack of fresh content needed to attract and keep streaming service subscribers.

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  • Dozens evacuated after Disney World monorail gets stuck

    Dozens evacuated after Disney World monorail gets stuck

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    Dozens evacuated after Disney World monorail gets stuck – CBS News


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    More than 70 people had to be evacuated from a monorail in Walt Disney World when it got a flat tire Tuesday. No one was hurt.

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


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  • TikTok: How To Do the Disney Pixar Dog Poster Trend With A.I. Filter

    TikTok: How To Do the Disney Pixar Dog Poster Trend With A.I. Filter

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    Here’s how to do the Disney Pixar dog poster trend with an A.I. filter that is trending on TikTok. This will turn your pet into a cute Disney character.

    How to do the TikTok Disney Pixar dog poster trend

    To do the TikTok Disney Pixar dog trend, users should:

    1. Go to the Image Creator from Microsoft Bing.
      • You can access the A.I. image creator here.
    2. Use the search function with a specific request.
      • A good template to use is: “A Disney Pixar-inspired movie poster with the title *DOG NAME* featuring *YOUR DOG BREED, COLOR, AND ANY OTHER CHARACTERISTICS.* The scene should be set in the distinct digital art style of Pixar, with a focus on character expressions, vibrant colors, and detailed textures that are characteristic of Pixar animation.”
    3. Wait until the four images have loaded.
      • It can take a while for the images to load. I have personally had to wait up to five minutes.
    4. If you’re unhappy with the images, generate more.
    5. Download the image and add it to your TikTok video.

    You can add more instructions to the search prompt to aid the generator in meeting your demands. You can add location information, if you want your pet to be in a specific place. You can also try and add yourself to the poster, by describing yourself in detail.

    If the animal in the poster doesn’t look enough like your pet, try and add more information. Inaccurate generations usually occur when the prompt isn’t detailed enough.

    Of course, the Image Creator from Microsoft Bing can be used for various other applications. Your mind really is the limit with A.I. image generation.

    For more Disney TikTok guides, here’s when the Disney 100 game is scheduled to come to an end. Also, here’s how to get all 18 of the Disney 100 quickly.



    Here is the Peacock November 2023 schedule. These new TV shows and movies are coming to the streaming service next…


    Hulu Schedule October 30-November 5

    Hulu‘s new TV and movie releases for October 30-November 5 include The Holiday, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and the…


    Disney Plus Schedule October 30-November 5

    Disney Plus‘s new TV and movie releases for October 30-November 5 include new episodes of Dancing With The Stars Season…


    Amazon Prime Video Schedule October 30-November 5

    Amazon Prime Video‘s new TV and movie releases for October 30-November 5 include the highly anticipated second season of Robert…


    HBO Max Schedule October 30-November 5

    HBO Max‘s new TV and movie releases for October 30-November 5 include all six films of the Rocky franchise, 2006’s…


    Peacock Schedule October 30-November 5

    Peacock‘s new TV and movie releases for October 30-November 5 include new episodes of Days of Our Lives Season 59,…

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    Mack Ashworth

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  • ‘South Park’ Takes Aim at the “Woke” Disney Culture Wars

    ‘South Park’ Takes Aim at the “Woke” Disney Culture Wars

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    In its latest 47-minute episode, South Park opted to slam all sides of Disney’s “woke” culture wars, which have ensnared everyone from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to legions of fans eager to complain about political correctness.

    Titled “Joining the Panderverse,” the episode details Eric Cartman’s worst nightmare—that he’ll be replaced by a woman of color. When Eric wakes from the bad dream, he declares, “They were taking all my favorite people and replacing them with diverse women who complain about the patriarchy!” later adding, “And Disney stock keeps going down and down!”

    Cartman’s dreams become reality in the form of a multiverse occupied only by women of color is led by South Park Elementary’s “PC Principal,” who accuses the characters of bigotry when they say recasting South Park’s white male characters “doesn’t make any sense.” Says the administrator, “If you don’t think Eric Cartman can be a Black woman, then maybe the problem is you. You probably don’t like that Indiana Jones got replaced by a female either, huh? You probably have a problem with Black Spider-Man, too“—referencing controversies that have cropped up around recent Disney titles like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which notably didn’t replace Harrison Ford as Indy with Phoebe WallerBridge, and Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. The kids do, at least, support the latter film: “No! Miles Morales is sweet! That’s a whole constructed thing with its own character and narrative. This is just taking the same old Cartman and putting a Black woman in it!”

    At one point, the episode features a fictionalized version of Disney CEO Bob Iger, who tells his fellow executives to “pander harder” to frustrated audiences via the “panderstone” that the studio uses to remake the same stories over and over. This is where Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy enters the episode to repeat the same note over and over again: “Put a chick in it! Make her lame and gay!”

    But before episode’s end, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone acknowledge the hatred that can spew from the anti-woke fans and commentators who place Kennedy directly in the crosshairs. Kennedy tells Cartman of the “hate mail” she’s received on the job, “ugly letters from racists who couldn’t stand that some of the panderstone’s rehashes had diverse women characters in the lead.” She admits that using the panderstone to “fight all bigotry in our society” was the wrong method. “All I ever wanted was to make great entertainment, but as as soon as you start getting piles of hate mail, endless messages calling you the c-word, you can’t think straight,” Kennedy says before apologizing to Cartman for being “so reckless with the things you love. It was just lazy.” To this, Cartman replies, “Well, I’m sorry I wrote all those letters…I guess just railing on woke stuff all the time is pretty lazy, too.”

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • 35 best TV shows to watch in 2023, from The Crown season 6 to The Buccaneers

    35 best TV shows to watch in 2023, from The Crown season 6 to The Buccaneers

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    We have always been entertained by the best new TV shows, which provide us with a much-needed sense of escapism from the stark realities of everyday life. Luckily, we have always been spoilt for choice when it comes to what we want to watch, and with the emergence of subscription-based streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, NOW TV etc., in the past few years, there have been more choices than ever before for when we want to curl up on the sofa with a warm drink in hand.

    We can’t help but notice that the catalogue of 2023 TV shows has been incredible so far, and we seriously cannot wait for all the other upcoming shows in the rest of the year! I mean, first of all, we have some of our favourite shows returning for their next instalments, such as the nail-biting drama set in the world of royals, The Crown and the terrifying series American Horror Story: Delicate (co-starring Kim Kardashian!).

    Then there are some big-name movie stars bringing their star power to the small screen, such as Elizabeth Olsen in the limited series Love & Death and Brie Larson in Lessons in Chemistry, which is based on the book of the same name. Oh, and also, like everyone else, we’re super curious to check out Squid Game: The Challenge. Eeek!

    So you might as well cancel all your pre-booked plans for next year to settle in for binge-watching all the best TV shows for 2023.

    However, if you’re looking for best sad movies, click here. For best television series ever, click here. For best Korean dramas, click here. For best thriller movies, click here. For best date night movies, click here.

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    Jabeen Waheed

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  • Disney Delays Live-Action ‘Snow White,’ Pulls Jonathan Majors Awards Drama

    Disney Delays Live-Action ‘Snow White,’ Pulls Jonathan Majors Awards Drama

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    Disney is rethinking the release strategy behind two of its upcoming titles. On Friday, Variety reported that the studio had delayed the upcoming live-action Snow White by a year and completely removed Magazine Dreams, Jonathan Majors’s assumed awards drama, from its schedule. The shifts come amid an actors strike that drags on without resolution and controversy weathered by both films.

    Magazine Dreams, which was acquired by Disney’s Searchlight Pictures out of Sundance, had been slated for release on December 8. But that date would have placed its debut in the midst of Majors’s trial for misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment stemming from an alleged domestic dispute. The trial is set to begin on November 29. Disney has not revealed any alternate plans for releasing the film, which debuted at Sundance to positive reviews, with Vanity Fair’s chief critic calling his performance a “terrifying wonder.” The actor has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    The live-action version of Snow White starring Rachel Zegler will now debut on March 21, 2025, a whole year after its original release date of March 22, 2024, according to Variety. The delay follows some backlash faced by the film, sight unseen, about how it will potentially depict dwarfism, with actor Peter Dinklage previously calling the original fairy tale “fucking backward” and questioning its need to be retold. In a statement to Deadline, a Disney spokesperson replied with the following: “To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”

    Zegler herself told Vanity Fair last year: “People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it’s like, yeah, it is—because it needed that. It’s an 85-year-old cartoon, and our version is a refreshing story about a young woman who has a function beyond ‘Someday My Prince Will Come.’” Surprising no one, some have taken issue with Zegler’s perceived critique of the 1937 animated film.

    It’s not the only Disney title on the move. Elio, an animated science-fiction film featuring voice work from America Ferrera and Jameela Jamil, has also been pushed back by a year—from March 1, 2024 to June 13, 2025.

    These films join several others to get rearranged during the actors strike, including Dune: Part Two and Challengers, both of which will now bow in the spring of next year.

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • California Supreme Court ends Disneyland’s fight against Anaheim wage law

    California Supreme Court ends Disneyland’s fight against Anaheim wage law

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    The California Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from Disney as to whether an Anaheim wage law applies to its lowest-paid theme park workers —setting the stage for the Disneyland resort to boost wages for many of its workers.

    Over the summer, the state’s 4th District Court of Appeal ordered up raises and back pay for “cast members,” as Disney calls its employees, in a class-action lawsuit filed on their behalf. The state Supreme Court’s decision to allow the appeal court’s order to stand represents a serious legal blow to the media giant.

    “Disney’s at the end of the road in terms of appeals,” said Sarah Grossman-Swenson, an attorney representing Disney workers. “The appellate decision is clear that Disney is required to comply with the law. The only issue left is the amount of damages.”

    The dispute between Disneyland workers and the park began in 2018 when voters passed a law prescribing a $15 minimum wage for companies in Anaheim’s resort area who enjoyed “tax rebate” agreements with the city. The measure approved by voters, known as Measure L, had been placed on the ballot thanks to petition drive, led by a coalition of Disney unions.

    In the lead up to the election, Disney asked the Anaheim City Council to shred a 45-year gate tax shield and a $267-million bed-tax break for a luxury hotel project that has since been abandoned.

    With those agreements canceled, Anaheim’s city attorney opined that the law wouldn’t apply to Disney.

    But a class-action lawsuit representing 25,000 theme park workers filed against Disney in Dec. 2019 begged to differ.

    An Orange County Superior Court judge originally sided with Disney before a three-judge panel overturned the ruling this summer, citing a provision in a 1996 Disney expansion deal passed by Anaheim in which the city agreed to repay the company if it had to cover bond payments.

    Disney filed an appeal with the state’s Supreme Court in August in which it claimed the appellate court redefined what a tax rebate is in a move that would “chill” public-private partnerships such as the ’96 expansion deal that brought Disney’s California Adventure, the Downtown Disney District and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel into existence, going forward.

    It appears the legal fight ends with this week’s decision.

    “We are aware of the court’s decision and will be complying with the requirements of Measure L,” said Jessica Good, a Disneyland Resort spokesperson.

    Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said the city “will continue to monitor how the court’s ruling is implemented.”

    How many workers will be affected by the law’s implementation and the sum of back pay owed are unknown at this time.

    The pay scale under the law is set to rise to slightly less than $20 an hour next year after being adjusted for inflation.

    Grossman-Swenson called the raises and back pay owed a “big deal” for Disney workers.

    “We know that thousands of them were not paid a living wage for almost five years in compliance with the law,” she added. “This will mean that they are entitled to their money and that can make a big difference in their lives.”

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    Gabriel San Román

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  • DeSantis’ Disney board claims that its own agreements with the entertainment giant shouldn’t be considered legally valid

    DeSantis’ Disney board claims that its own agreements with the entertainment giant shouldn’t be considered legally valid

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    Agreements that Disney made with the governing district for Walt Disney World before it was taken over by appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis weren’t legally valid, and the company’s counterclaims against the district should be dismissed, the governing body said in court papers filed this week.

    The governing district now controlled by supporters of the Republican governor said in court papers Wednesday that a state court judge should dismiss Disney’s counterclaims. The counterclaims seek a court declaration that the agreements are valid and that the district’s board of DeSantis allies violated the company’s contracts, free speech and due process rights.

    The agreements shifted control over design and construction at Disney World from the district to the company and prohibited the district from using the likeness of Disney characters or other intellectual property without Disney’s permission. The agreements were signed in February before the district takeover by the DeSantis appointees, who claim the contracts neutered their powers for the district that provides municipal services for Disney World.

    The takeover of the district, which was previously controlled by Disney allies, came after the company publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.

    The contracts weren’t properly publicized and the Disney supporters on the district’s board at the time didn’t have the legal authority to sign the agreements, the district now-controlled by DeSantis supporters said in this week’s court papers.

    “Disney has failed to allege any facts that demonstrate the existence of damages,” said the district, called the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District since the takeover after being called the Reedy Creek Improvement District for the previous 55 years.

    Disney and DeSantis and his allies also are battling in federal court, where the company has sued DeSantis, claiming the governor violated its free speech rights by punishing it for expressing opposition to the law. DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District have asked a federal judge to throw out Disney’s First Amendment lawsuit, calling it meritless.

    DeSantis currently is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

    Get the business news that matters most to you with our customizable digest, Fortune Daily. Register to get it delivered free to your inbox.

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    Mike Schneider, The Associated Press

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  • Marvel Fans React To Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’

    Marvel Fans React To Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’

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    In a controversial opinion piece penned for The New York Times, acclaimed film director Martin Scorcese argued that Marvel movies cannot be classified as cinema. The Onion asked fans of the action movie franchise what they thought of Scorcese’s latest film, Killers Of The Flower Moon, and this is what they said.

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  • ‘Hocus Pocus’ Director Says He Wasn’t Approached for Sequel

    ‘Hocus Pocus’ Director Says He Wasn’t Approached for Sequel

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    Kenny Ortega is 73 now. He was 43 when he directed the original Hocus Pocus. Unfortunately, Disney didn’t come to him to direct the film’s recent sequel.

    While Ortega didn’t see Hocus Pocus 2, he’s excited for the characters, and looking forward to seeing where the franchise goes. He recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly, sharing that while he’s disappointed not to be working on the series anymore, he wishes it the best of luck.

    “They did not approach me to direct it, which was disappointing, but, of course, in the end, I was very supportive, wanting for Bette, Kathy, and Sarah to have another crack at it,” Ortega said. “You let go of things, you surrender, you move on, you don’t hold on, you don’t have ownership. I would’ve loved to have gone back and play again, but that I didn’t is okay.”

    He also explains why he hasn’t gotten a chance to catch Hocus Pocus 2 yet.

    “I’ll see it this Halloween. I just didn’t see it last year when it came out, I was working, and then it just never was something that I could get to. But, I will. Of course I will.”

    READ MORE: Disney Plans a Hocus Pocus 3

    He was also asked if he’d be interested in working on Hocus Pocus 3, which was just recently confirmed by Disney.

    “Young blood, new ideas, I don’t know, for whatever reason that they don’t, it’s their choice. I was available, I was interested, and I still am available and interested, if that were to ever be a conversation that someone wanted to have with me. And yet, at the same time, I support the franchise however they want to move forward with it.”

    Hocus Pocus 2 is now streaming on Disney+.

    13 Spooky-But-Not Scary Halloween Movies

    These films are perfect for people who love Halloween but don’t love super scary movies.

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    Cody Mcintosh

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