Disney's biggest wins this year — from a triumphant proxy war to getting back on track at the box office
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- Disney brought the magic in 2024, but it isn't out of the woods just yet.
- Streaming turned a profit for the first time, and it righted the ship at the box office.
- While CEO Bob Iger won a proxy battle, Trump's second term now looms.
After a string of challenges, Disney brought the magic in 2024.
It wasn't long ago that CEO Bob Iger was battling an expensive proxy fight, creative challenges, and streaming business losses.
Iger has put many of those concerns behind him. Disney fended off activist shareholder Nelson Peltz. And he addressed two areas that have been a big concern for Wall Street: returning the film division to profits with "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool & Wolverine," and turning the corner in its streaming business.
On a fourth-quarter earnings call in November, a confident Iger projected rosy earnings all the way out to 2027 and was rewarded with a 9% surge in Disney's stock price.
Perhaps most important, after a botched succession in 2020, the company reassured critics that it's on track to name Iger's replacement in early 2026.
Disney isn't out of the woods just yet. It still faces the ongoing decline of its linear TV business. With another ESPN streamer in the works, its streaming offerings are multiplying, which risks consumer confusion. And some insiders have worried that a returning President Donald Trump could lead to retribution β or a chilling effect on the company's creative output and journalism β after Iger and Trump publicly sparred during Trump's first term.
Meanwhile, here's a look back at Disney's biggest wins of the past year:
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Disney turned a crucial corner with its streaming business in 2024.
Services like Hulu and Disney+ generated a small but noteworthy profit β to the tune of $47 million β for the first time in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, that figure grew to $321 million.
Subscription price hikes were key. The basic price for Disney+ is now $16 a month, compared to $7 when it launched in 2019. Iger said on a call with investors this month that in raising prices, the company sought to move users toward ad-supported subscription options.
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Disney has given itself a self-imposed deadline of 2026 to name Iger's successor β which is when the executive's contract expires and is longer than some had anticipated.
After Iger's last succession plan fell flat, resulting in his return to the company in 2022, this time the effort is being spearheaded by Morgan Stanley's James Gorman.
Four internal candidates have been floated: Disney Entertainment cochair Dana Walden, movie head Alan Bergman, Disney Experiences chair Josh D'Amaro, and ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro. Disney is also considering outsiders, though no frontrunner has emerged.
Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios/Marvel
Iger acknowledged last year that Disney movies weren't what they used to be in terms of quality following box office disappointments like "Elemental," "The Little Mermaid," and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
But in 2024, Disney righted the ship. "Inside Out 2" broke the record for an animated movie opening, while "Deadpool & Wolverine" β the only film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe it released this year after the company decided to slow its roll β was an irrefutable smash, signaling a possible antidote to superhero fatigue.
Walt Disney World
Experiences are key to Disney's future, with Chairman Josh D'Amaro overseeing a $60 billion investment over the next decade into park expansion β and the company's most ambitious foray yet into gaming, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
New attractions and lands inspired by hit films like "Avatar" and "Monsters, Inc." will arrive at parks worldwide, according to THR, and four new cruise ships will roughly double its fleet by the end of the decade.
Disney also placed its biggest bet to date on gaming earlier this year with a $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games. Disney will work with the "Fortnite" studio to develop an interactive space inspired by its IP.
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Iger won a lengthy and expensive proxy battle against activist investor Nelson Peltz in April after shareholders voted to keep the CEO and Disney management's board over two new members nominated by Peltz's firm.
Peltz has criticized Disney's succession planning, streaming losses, and stock performance.
But looking ahead, Iger could be facing another threat when Trump takes office again β with its ABC News division having already drawn the president-elect's ire. While Iger criticized Trump during his first term, he appears to be remaining on the political sidelines this time around.
