DIS Shareholders and Stock Info ONLY

[HokieRaven5]

For all the press and angst around cord cutting, that is a slower bleed than I would have expected, over the last 12 years.

Unsure how many of those 75M households have both cable and ESPN+ but there are also about 25M listed subscribers of ESPN+ according to the last earnings report.

 

[RivShore]

Unsure how many of those 75M households have both cable and ESPN+ but there are also about 25M listed subscribers of ESPN+ according to the last earnings report.

This is an interesting data point! Yes there is probably some overlap but I find it shocking that overall subscribers have remained the same for a dozen years, again given all "the sky is falling" talk.

 

[wabbott]

I've noticed a flurry of ink about how DIS can jack up Disney+ rates another $5 or $10 with no significant effect on subscriber numbers. Just spitballing here, but I wonder if that meme is being promulgated by all the Hollywood Crowd (writers, show runners, assistant-to's, factotums, strap-hangers, deadheads, etc) whose livelihood depends upon a steady flow of easy money to live on.

Regardless of whether anyone watches their shows...

 

[wabbott]

And what's this all about? A grand new strategy, or just throwing stuff against the wall to see if it will stick?

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/eva-longoria-flamin-hot-premiere-hulu-disney-plus-1235559706/

Mar 20, 2023 12:06pm PT
by Rebecca Rubin

Eva Longoria’s ‘Flamin’ Hot’ Will Be First Movie to Premiere on Both Hulu and Disney+

Eva Longoria’s upcoming movie “Flamin’ Hot” will premiere simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu, marking the first feature film to debut on both platforms.

Following its world premiere at SXSW, where it won the audience award, “Flamin’ Hot” will land on the streaming services on June 9. The film, from Searchlight Pictures, will also be available on Disney+ internationally.

“I’m so excited for the world to see ‘Flamin’ Hot’ on these two streaming platforms making this universal, inspirational story accessible to an even wider audience,” said Longoria, who directed the film in her feature filmmaking debut. “Now everyone can celebrate the joy, power and heart of this film that also happens to uplift Latinos both in front of and behind the camera.”

According to Searchlight, “Flamin’ Hot” is inspired by the true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) “who as a Frito-Lay janitor disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican American heritage to turn Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon.”

Prior to the film’s release, Montañez’s claims were disputed by a Los Angeles Times report, which claimed he wasn’t involved in the creation of the spicy snack. Montañez disputed the Times’ story, saying, “all I have is my history, what I did in my kitchen.” Frito-Lay parent company PepsiCo issued a lengthy statement expressing support for Montañez, though it did not challenging the Times’ reporting.

“Eva’s inspiring film is a joy to experience and we could not be happier that it will now be available to even more families and audiences around the world,” added Searchlight Presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield.

In Variety’s review, chief film critic Peter Debruge praised the story as a “‘Rocky’-like crowd-pleaser that leaves audiences feeling more confident about themselves.”

“’Flamin’ Hot’ may commemorate a junk-food revolution,” he wrote, “but the film has real substance — heck, you could even call it nutritional value, which is more than can be said for the Cheeto.”

Lewis Colick and Linda Yvette Chávez wrote the screenplay. Annie Gonzalez, Emilio Rivera, Dennis Haysbert, Tony Shalhoub and Matt Walsh co-star.

“From the moment I found Richard Montañez’s story seven years ago, I knew it would resonate with and inspire audiences everywhere,” said producer DeVon Franklin. “I’m so grateful to Searchlight, Hulu and now Disney+ for giving us this historic opportunity to bring his uplifting true story to over 200 million subscribers around the world!”

 

[RivShore]

I've noticed a flurry of ink about how DIS can jack up Disney+ rates another $5 or $10 with no significant effect on subscriber numbers. Just spitballing here, but I wonder if that meme is being promulgated by all the Hollywood Crowd (writers, show runners, assistant-to's, factotums, strap-hangers, deadheads, etc) whose livelihood depends upon a steady flow of easy money to live on.

Regardless of whether anyone watches their shows...

Interesting "conspiratorial" thought. lol

 

[clarker99]

For all the press and angst around cord cutting, that is a slower bleed than I would have expected, over the last 12 years.

The cord-cutting narrative is just noise for the real problem that professional sports is facing... young people (generally) do not watch or even like sports. Gen X is the last real sports hungry demographic.

 

[BrianL]

The cord-cutting narrative is just noise for the real problem that professional sports is facing... young people (generally) do not watch or even like sports. Gen X is the last real sports hungry demographic.

I think a lot of younger people like sports, but they are less apt to like the current "BIG" sports leagues, like NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. They might like soccer a lot, or otherwise more obscure things.

 

[afan]

The cord-cutting narrative is just noise for the real problem that professional sports is facing... young people (generally) do not watch or even like sports. Gen X is the last real sports hungry demographic.

The number of people younger than me (as the youngest age of gen x) that I saw at speing training games this past weekend and at regular games, I don't agree that they don't like sports. Esp as you don't travel to st as a casual fan. They may not have cable, which in baseball is hard with their blackout rules for streaming, but they are still paying attention in their own ways.

 

[clarker99]

I think a lot of younger people like sports, but they are less apt to like the current "BIG" sports leagues, like NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. They might like soccer a lot, or otherwise more obscure things.

I am trying to find the article I read where Gen Z is completely uninterested in sports across the board relative to previous generations. Obv, not every kid dislikes sports but interest is dropping very fast.

 

[clarker99]

Here is the article I read back in December about Gen Z and live sports:

https://morningconsult.com/2022/12/13/gen-z-interest-in-watching-sports/

"Almost half of millennials (48%) and adults overall (46%) said they watch live sporting events on a weekly basis, compared with just 27% of Gen Zers".

 

[wabbott]

https://deadline.com/2023/03/disney-layoffs-coming-annual-shareholder-meeting-bob-iger-1235303513/

Disney Layoff Rounds Likely Starting Before Annual Meeting; Details On Cuts Emerge
By Nellie Andreeva, Dade Hayes
March 21, 2023 4:10pm PST

EXCLUSIVE: With Disney’s April 3 shareholder meeting — a virtual affair this year — less than two weeks away, some clarity is emerging about the company’s plans to reduce staff and cut costs.

Insiders tell Deadline that multiple rounds of cuts are being prepared. The first one is being targeted for next week, we hear. (March 30 or March 31 have been floated as possible dates, but that has not been confirmed.) According to sources, there will be a big wave in late April, described as “the big one” or a “bloodbath,” when a large portion of the cuts are expected to come.

Information varies on a potential third round of layoffs. Some say it might come between the one in late March and the one in late April, while others note that it could follow the one in late April if it’s deemed necessary. Disney declined to comment.

Senior Disney executives have been hashing out specifics of the reductions in recent weeks. We hear that most managers already have submitted their layoff target reports, the step corporations take before a major workforce culling.

CEO Bob Iger revealed the scope of the cuts during the company’s February 8 quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts. Plans to let go of 7,000 staffers, roughly 3% of the company’s global workforce, are “not being taken lightly,” Iger said. The paring down of employee rolls is a cornerstone of the effort to reach $5.5 billion in overall cost savings.

Following his promise to investors, Iger is determined to make a “statement” in the coming weeks, one insider says.

The cuts are expected to be spread across the company’s three divisions — Entertainment; ESPN; and Parks, Experiences and Products — with marketing and distribution including at the disbanded Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution unit among the business areas ripe for consolidation. Virtually every part of the sprawling Entertainment division is expected to be impacted in a meaningful way. There have been rumors about potential significant cuts at Hulu as well as sister studios ABC Signature and 20th Television both on the business and content side. Despite rampant speculation about the two major TV studios potentially merging operations in some form, that still does not appear to be imminent.

ESPN, which is now its own distinct corporate division, also is being scrutinized. While it has thinned its ranks in recent years as pay-TV distribution has fallen from a peak of 100 million households in 2011 to about 74 million, the sports power at the same time is confronting a steady rise in rights fees. Stephen A. Smith, one of ESPN’s top personalities, recently noted that the network is “going to have cuts coming.” He addressed the topic on a recent episode of his podcast Know Mercy, which is produced outside of Disney by Audacy’s Cadence13. “Hell, for all I know, I might be one of them,” mused Smith, who reportedly makes more than $13 million a year for hosting First Take, among many other roles. “Now, I doubt that. But it’s possible. No one knows.”

At the time of last month’s earnings report, Iger said $1 billion of the cost savings target was under way. A month later, during an appearance at a Morgan Stanley conference, he identified one specific area of overlap created under former CEO Bob Chapek. The marketing of streaming services, he said, had become “disconnected” from the marketing of individual series or movies. “That needed to be put back together, not just because – for sanity purposes, but also because there are opportunities to reduce expenses,” he said.

Disney is far from alone in paring back. Media and tech companies have laid off thousands of workers during recent turbulent months, with spiking interest rates and foreign currency gyrations among the economic headwinds.

Investors initially cheered Iger’s revelation about streamlining, boosting shares, but the stock has fallen back in recent weeks. It closed Tuesday at $96.54 and has risen about 2% in 2023 to date. Even so, shares now are not much higher than where they crash-landed in March 2020. That was just after Iger passed the CEO baton to Bob Chapek and Covid was beginning to lay siege to almost all of Disney’s operations.

Lynette Rice and Dominic Patten contributed to this report.

 

[OKW Lover]

As a recovering bean counter I'm wondering the impact of these layoffs on earnings. Disney will have to take a hit for any benefits due the affected employees. How much might that be?

 

[RivShore]

Plans to let go of 7,000 staffers, roughly 3% of the company’s global workforce

So with 3000 being open positions, it's really 1.7% ish. And, if I wanted to be a wise***, I would say that is a very misleading sentence, how can a staffer be let go if that staffer does not exist?

 

[RivShore]

As a recovering bean counter I'm wondering the impact of these layoffs on earnings. Disney will have to take a hit for any benefits due the affected employees. How much might that be?

Whatever the number is, it will be considered a "one time item" and be removed from the reported earnings per share. (oh the games people play!!)

 

[wabbott]

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/victoria-alonso-mysterious-marvel-exit-130000938.html

What Victoria Alonso’s Mysterious Marvel Exit Means as Unrest Builds at Disney​

Drew Taylor
Wed, March 22, 2023 at 8:00 AM CDT

In the summer of 2019, at a home video day for “Captain Marvel,” Victoria Alonso, the then-chief of production at Marvel Studios, bristled at a question. The innocuous query referred to Kevin Feige, president of the studio, as her “boss.”

“He is not my boss,” Alonso asserted, before answering the question. She had a point: She technically reported to co-president Louis D’Esposito, not Feige. Yet it was a moment when her cool veneer cracked, if only for a moment, and the flinty executive within was exposed.

Her tenacity was a tool. She started out as a visual effects supervisor on movies for DreamWorks Animation and Ridley Scott before joining Marvel Studios as a co-producer and visual effects producer on the company’s first-ever in-house production, 2008’s “Iron Man.” She’s been a key part of every Marvel Studios film and streaming series since, and in 2021 was given the title of president of physical, post production, VFX and animation at Marvel Studios.

Her ascent was even more impressive given that she’s a woman of color and a member of the LGBTQ community (she’s married to Australian actress Imelda Corcoran, who appeared in Marvel’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”). And while her exit is still shrouded in mystery, it comes at a particularly fraught time for the company, and for Alonso herself.

In February, Marvel Studios released “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” a splashy adventure through inner-space that served as the official kick-off for the company’s Phase 5 as it barrels towards two more star-studded “Avengers” movies. But the movie underperformed at the box office (internally, Disney is worried that the movie won’t make $300 million domestically) and in terms of critical reception.

Most — if not all — of the reviews singled out the movie’s visual effects, which felt rushed and muddy. (“If you told me that the actors had been shot before the filmmakers decided what they would be looking at or interacting with, I’d believe you,” quipped Bilge Ebiri in his review for Vulture.) That critique fell squarely in Alonso’s turf.

“Quantumania” is a rare dent in the armor of the seemingly unstoppable Marvel Studios box office machine (November’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” made nearly $860 million) and its underperformance and the response to its visual effects are deeply intertwined.

Marvel Studios has come under fire before for its approach to visual effects, what has been described as “pixel-f–king” — a micromanaging process that saw Alonso and Feige personally overseeing every shot, piling on work and demanding changes up until the last possible second. After Alonso’s dismissal, Chris Lee, a Vulture reporter who has extensively covered the post-production woes of Marvel Studios (and introduced the phrase “pixel-f–king” to the general populace), said his sources described her as “singularly responsible for Marvel’s toxic work environment: a kingmaker who rewarded unquestioning fealty with an avalanche of work, but who also maintained the blacklist that kept FX pros wild-eyed with fear.”

Just as soon as this explanation bubbled up, it was quickly shot down. Joanna Robinson, a writer for the Ringer who has been working for the last few years on a book about the history of Marvel, quickly refuted Lee’s claims. “This is just the absolutely opposite of what I’ve heard from every person who has ever worked with her. I’d call it a gross mischaracterization,” Robinson tweeted.

One thing is for sure: The state of the visual effects industry is at a tipping point and Marvel Studios, as a place that demands a truly insane amount of work for both its movies and streaming series, is wrapped up in that.

Since shooting on film and television resumed in fall 2020, Hollywood studios have faced a post-production backlog of projects that started both prior to and after the COVID shutdown. This has led to an overwhelming demand for VFX work, with some major blockbusters seeing their releases delayed as studios have failed to find VFX houses available for work.

With this increased demand has come growing complaints from VFX artists about excessive hours and workloads, along with increased disorganization, leading to a new campaign called VFX-IATSE that seeks to unionize this key sector of blockbuster post-production with the below-the-line workers union.

Earlier this month, VFX-IATSE published a survey of VFX artists that painted a picture of an industry with poor wages and working conditions: “For VFX workers employed directly by film productions (and it is worth mentioning that the VFX department’s budget is generally the biggest single line item of any production’s budget), only 12% have health insurance which carries over from job-to-job, and only 15% report any kind of employer contributions to a retirement fund,” VFX-IATSE wrote. “On average, 70% of VFX workers report having worked uncompensated overtime hours for their employer. Overall, 75% of VFX workers reported being forced to work through legally mandated meal breaks and rest periods without compensation.”

Whether or not Alonso’s exit is tied into her role as the overseer of visual effects for the company, it signals the biggest shift, behind the scenes, at the studio since 2017, when producer Jeremy Latcham, who had also been with the studio since “Iron Man,” departed for a production deal at 20th Century Fox. Feige is known for cultivating a core team of loyal producers, many of them promoted from within (Trinh Tran, executive of production and development, started as Marvel exec Louis D’Esposito’s assistant). Alonso’s exit marks a huge shift for the company.

For the first time, possibly ever, the bulletproof veneer of Marvel Studios is starting to dim. Between the underperformance of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” the rumored visual effects revolt and Alonso’s exit, the studio is a long way from the world-conquering vibes of 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” a satisfying culmination to the studio’s storytelling thus far and a box office juggernaut that was, for a time, the most successful movie ever.

Now, Marvel Studios is facing diminishing returns (in part because of the perceived aimlessness of Phase 4), a crowded marketplace and a pledge from Disney CEO Bob Iger to cut costs. The tighter environment could push several Marvel Studios projects (including a number of marquee streaming titles) into 2024.

These days, Marvel Studios is entering territory scarier than any Quantum Realm or alternate dimension. And it’s down one of its original executive Avengers.

Jeremy Fuster contributed to this article.

 

[wabbott]

https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/espn-rob-king-exit-1235561213/

Mar 22, 2023 6:26am PST
By Brian Steinberg
Rob King, One of ESPN’s Most Senior Sports Journalism Executives, Is Out

Rob King, a senior executive at Walt Disney’s ESPN who had oversight of much of the company’s sports journalism, has abruptly left the Disney-backed sports-media giant.

“After nearly 20 years with ESPN, I have decided the time is right for me to leave the company,: King said on Twitter on Tuesday “I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and friends, and wish the company continued success.”

The New York Post reported Tuesday that King departed after complaints were made to ESPN about harassing social-media posts. An ESPN spokesperson said the company would not comment on personnel matters.

King held the title of ESPN’s executive editor in chief, special projects, and in an ESPN corporate bio, which has since been removed, was described as “responsible for the company’s overall journalistic direction, working closely with leaders across ESPN Films and original content, digital content, social media, multi-platform journalism and storytelling and global content, and advises ESPN and its senior leadership team on editorial issues.” In a previous role, King supervised ESPN’s original content, including “SportsCenter” and ESPN.com.

King reported directly to Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman. even after a recent reshuffle of the organization in the wake of the return of Bob Iger to Disney’s CEO role.

Disney is expected to layoff hundreds of employees in weeks to come as it grapples with a downturn in the economy and pressures to show new levels of profitability even as it invests to capture the attention of consumers who use streaming-video for the bulk of their entertainment and information.

King was a former deputy managing editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer who joined ESPN in 2004.

 

[wabbott]

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/...exit-kevin-feige-1235561995/#article-comments

Mar 22, 2023 5:16pm PST
Inside Victoria Alonso’s Shocking Exit From Marvel Studios
By Matt Donnelly, Adam B. Vary

At this year’s Academy Awards, Victoria Alonso was overwhelmed.

The veteran Marvel Studios executive and producer of the nominated film “Argentina, 1985” was stopped on the red carpet, posing for photographers assigned to capture top executives on Hollywood’s big night. But something shocked her.

“Look at this! Two women!” Alonso said of the female photographers hired for the gig (as in most corners of Hollywood, women are outnumbered by men on the photo line). Emotional, Alonso insisted the pair put down their cameras and pose for a photo with her in front of a giant Oscar statuette. As they all smiled, she told them, “We’ve worked so hard to get here and we’re not going anywhere.”

Eight days later, she was fired as Marvel’s president of physical production, post-production, VFX and animation, three individuals familiar with the matter told Variety. The shakeup came as a surprise to many in show business and within the vast Marvel comic book fandom (a community with a prominent online presence and an in-person significance, at the many multiplexes where the studio releases its films).

Alonso’s dismissal has raised numerous questions about behind-the-scenes workings at the prized content engine, and with them, another unfavorable news cycle as Disney CEO Bob Iger attempts to stabilize its parent company amid economic unrest.

While the cause of Alonso’s termination is unclear, the sources said, the decision was made by a consortium including human resources, Disney’s legal department and multiple executives including Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman (to whom all of Marvel Studios reports). Alonso’s longtime boss and Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige felt mired in an impossible situation and, ultimately, did not intervene, one source added. Alonso was blindsided, another insider added.

A representative for Alonso declined to provide comment for this story. Marvel Studios had no comment.

Alonso joined Marvel Studios in 2006, three years before Disney acquired the label for $4 billion. Over 17 years, she has been a fixture under chief creative officer Kevin Feige, standing beside Feige’s right hand and co-president Louis D’Esposito. Simultaneously, she worked to become a brand on her own – a rare openly LGBTQ person and woman of color in a visible leadership role, known for her fiery passion and outspokenness over diversity and inclusion in Marvel’s storytelling.

She has been honored by media watchdogs and visual effects communities alike and is about to publish a memoir about her corporate ascent, the aptly titled “Possibility Is Your Superpower” (which is still set for release at the Disney book label Hyperion Avenue).

Where, then, in all of the multiverse did this dramatic fracture occur?

Numerous sources familiar with Marvel pointed to the tremendous pressure that the unit has been under over the past few years to deliver compelling content, not just to theaters, but also in the form of new streaming shows intended to bolster Disney+. In 2021 and 2022, Marvel unloaded an unprecedented torrent of comic book adventures, releasing 17 titles — seven movies, eight streaming series and two TV specials — over 23 months.

That breakneck distribution schedule, a product of the pandemic and the need to constantly feed Disney+, was not of Alonso’s making. Marvel was far from the only studio tasked with delivering feature-level content for a newly launched streaming service. But it was Alonso’s job to get each of those titles through Marvel’s gargantuan post-production process. By the summer of 2022, cracks began to show in the company’s seemingly impervious armor.

Starting on Reddit, followed by a series of stories published across the internet, visual effects artists began to loudly complain about Marvel’s demanding post-production schedules. Complaints ranged from unrelenting overtime to chronic understaffing to the inability to avoid delivering substandard work due to constantly changing deadlines.

Some singled out Alonso as a “kingmaker” who would blacklist artists who have “pissed her off in any way.”

One visual effects artist recently told Variety that the biggest issue for them was Marvel’s inability to provide clear guidelines.

“The show I was on really struggled because it was an established character whose powers they were reconceiving for the MCU,” the artist said on the condition of anonymity. Most complaints, they said, came down to one refrain: “Marvel doesn’t figure **** out beforehand.”

A different senior VFX artist threw cold water on the idea that Alonso would single out individual artists: “The idea of a very senior exec terrifying rank and file artists, per some reports, feels a bit off,” they told Variety. Above the line, three different up-and-coming Marvel actors agreed that Alonso was only a supportive force on set.

“She was the epitome of professional and knows her stuff,” said one former Disney film executive.

Still, the drumbeat that Something Is Rotten in the State of Marvel Studios only grew louder with the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” a film that finished shooting over a year before it was due in theaters and still weathered repeated criticism for “generic” visual effects that looked like “CGI glop” and were “very flat and cruddy-looking.” Even more critical: The movie has grossed $463 million globally to date, the worst performance of the “Ant-Man” franchise and a figure that means that it will struggle to break even in its theatrical window.

That’s the wrong trajectory for a studio that Disney has come to rely upon as an unshakable box office cash machine, one whose films have grossed over $28 billion at the global box office, especially as Iger makes plain that he’s cutting costs across the company. Insiders say the five Disney+ series from Marvel Studios that had been scheduled to debut in 2023 have been narrowed to three or four, with the others moving into 2024 and possibly beyond. That will take some of the immediate pressure off of Marvel’s post-production pipeline. Alonso’s absence is not expected to affect the next Marvel title, May’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which has nearly locked picture.

Alonso’s replacement was not immediately announced by Disney. Given her expansive portfolio of duties, it may take more than one person to fill her shoes. Executives assemble.

Angelique Jackson and Jazz Tangcay contributed to this report.

 

[BrianL]

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/...exit-kevin-feige-1235561995/#article-comments

Mar 22, 2023 5:16pm PST
Inside Victoria Alonso’s Shocking Exit From Marvel Studios
By Matt Donnelly, Adam B. Vary

At this year’s Academy Awards, Victoria Alonso was overwhelmed.

The veteran Marvel Studios executive and producer of the nominated film “Argentina, 1985” was stopped on the red carpet, posing for photographers assigned to capture top executives on Hollywood’s big night. But something shocked her.

“Look at this! Two women!” Alonso said of the female photographers hired for the gig (as in most corners of Hollywood, women are outnumbered by men on the photo line). Emotional, Alonso insisted the pair put down their cameras and pose for a photo with her in front of a giant Oscar statuette. As they all smiled, she told them, “We’ve worked so hard to get here and we’re not going anywhere.”

Eight days later, she was fired as Marvel’s president of physical production, post-production, VFX and animation, three individuals familiar with the matter told Variety. The shakeup came as a surprise to many in show business and within the vast Marvel comic book fandom (a community with a prominent online presence and an in-person significance, at the many multiplexes where the studio releases its films).

Alonso’s dismissal has raised numerous questions about behind-the-scenes workings at the prized content engine, and with them, another unfavorable news cycle as Disney CEO Bob Iger attempts to stabilize its parent company amid economic unrest.

While the cause of Alonso’s termination is unclear, the sources said, the decision was made by a consortium including human resources, Disney’s legal department and multiple executives including Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman (to whom all of Marvel Studios reports). Alonso’s longtime boss and Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige felt mired in an impossible situation and, ultimately, did not intervene, one source added. Alonso was blindsided, another insider added.

A representative for Alonso declined to provide comment for this story. Marvel Studios had no comment.

Alonso joined Marvel Studios in 2006, three years before Disney acquired the label for $4 billion. Over 17 years, she has been a fixture under chief creative officer Kevin Feige, standing beside Feige’s right hand and co-president Louis D’Esposito. Simultaneously, she worked to become a brand on her own – a rare openly LGBTQ person and woman of color in a visible leadership role, known for her fiery passion and outspokenness over diversity and inclusion in Marvel’s storytelling.

She has been honored by media watchdogs and visual effects communities alike and is about to publish a memoir about her corporate ascent, the aptly titled “Possibility Is Your Superpower” (which is still set for release at the Disney book label Hyperion Avenue).

Where, then, in all of the multiverse did this dramatic fracture occur?

Numerous sources familiar with Marvel pointed to the tremendous pressure that the unit has been under over the past few years to deliver compelling content, not just to theaters, but also in the form of new streaming shows intended to bolster Disney+. In 2021 and 2022, Marvel unloaded an unprecedented torrent of comic book adventures, releasing 17 titles — seven movies, eight streaming series and two TV specials — over 23 months.

That breakneck distribution schedule, a product of the pandemic and the need to constantly feed Disney+, was not of Alonso’s making. Marvel was far from the only studio tasked with delivering feature-level content for a newly launched streaming service. But it was Alonso’s job to get each of those titles through Marvel’s gargantuan post-production process. By the summer of 2022, cracks began to show in the company’s seemingly impervious armor.

Starting on Reddit, followed by a series of stories published across the internet, visual effects artists began to loudly complain about Marvel’s demanding post-production schedules. Complaints ranged from unrelenting overtime to chronic understaffing to the inability to avoid delivering substandard work due to constantly changing deadlines.

Some singled out Alonso as a “kingmaker” who would blacklist artists who have “pissed her off in any way.”

One visual effects artist recently told Variety that the biggest issue for them was Marvel’s inability to provide clear guidelines.

“The show I was on really struggled because it was an established character whose powers they were reconceiving for the MCU,” the artist said on the condition of anonymity. Most complaints, they said, came down to one refrain: “Marvel doesn’t figure **** out beforehand.”

A different senior VFX artist threw cold water on the idea that Alonso would single out individual artists: “The idea of a very senior exec terrifying rank and file artists, per some reports, feels a bit off,” they told Variety. Above the line, three different up-and-coming Marvel actors agreed that Alonso was only a supportive force on set.

“She was the epitome of professional and knows her stuff,” said one former Disney film executive.

Still, the drumbeat that Something Is Rotten in the State of Marvel Studios only grew louder with the release of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” a film that finished shooting over a year before it was due in theaters and still weathered repeated criticism for “generic” visual effects that looked like “CGI glop” and were “very flat and cruddy-looking.” Even more critical: The movie has grossed $463 million globally to date, the worst performance of the “Ant-Man” franchise and a figure that means that it will struggle to break even in its theatrical window.

That’s the wrong trajectory for a studio that Disney has come to rely upon as an unshakable box office cash machine, one whose films have grossed over $28 billion at the global box office, especially as Iger makes plain that he’s cutting costs across the company. Insiders say the five Disney+ series from Marvel Studios that had been scheduled to debut in 2023 have been narrowed to three or four, with the others moving into 2024 and possibly beyond. That will take some of the immediate pressure off of Marvel’s post-production pipeline. Alonso’s absence is not expected to affect the next Marvel title, May’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which has nearly locked picture.

Alonso’s replacement was not immediately announced by Disney. Given her expansive portfolio of duties, it may take more than one person to fill her shoes. Executives assemble.

Angelique Jackson and Jazz Tangcay contributed to this report.

Unfortunately, Marvel Studios seems to be at a stage where they are resting on their laurels. They did so much to get so big and popular, and now they think that just anything they do will be gold. That was true for a while, but they've definitely slumped. Don't get me wrong, Quantummania was a decent movie - good by most standards, but compared to Marvels earlier output it doesn't hold a candle. Some of the shows have been misfires too. It's hard to get excited about the upcomming content. I'm not sure why Alonso was singled out on this, but apparently there were issues with VFX management, and that's her department. Keven seems to want to do other things too. If he's disinterested, it may be time to wrap it all up.

 

[wabbott]

https://www.fool.com/investing/2023...hoo-host&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article

Disney World's New Restaurant Is Cooking Up BBQ and Profits

By Rick Munarriz – Mar 23, 2023 at 9:10AM

Key Points​

• Disney's new Toy Story Land restaurant opens this week, where guests pay $45 for a full-course meal of Woody-approved barbecue.
• Everything from the decision to not include costumed characters to serving its plates family style should help maximize the concept's profitability.
• Theme parks continue to be a key driver for Disney, and adding more premium dining capacity will only make things better.

Roundup Rodeo BBQ may seem like it's all fun and games, but there's big business behind the biscuits and brisket.

Hungry guests at Walt Disney's (DIS 1.29%) Florida resort have a new place to conquer their rumbling bellies, and Toy Story fans will finally get a table service experience. Roundup Rodeo BBQ officially opens on Tuesday at Disney's Hollywood Studios, a welcome addition to the always busy Toy Story Land. Most of the initial reservations were quickly snapped up when they became available last month.

True to its name, barbecue is the cuisine of choice at the Toy Story-themed experience. There won't be actual characters from the iconic Pixar franchise making the rounds to meet sauce-faced fans, but it doesn't mean that guests aren't paying a premium to take in the family style fare. Disney is charging anyone older than nine $45 for the experience. Younger patrons pay $25 (or nothing at all if they are less than 3 years old). Even with its seemingly stiff cover charge, Disney isn't going to have a problem filling its tables. The world's most popular theme park operator is going to make even more money now.

I was able to go behind the scenes last week, chatting with story imagineer Geoff Line and Disney chef Jerry Gonzalez to get a feel for the new eatery. The setting is Andy's backyard where he has set up his toys for a rodeo competition. There are no costumed characters, but colorful life-sized props and occasional audio clips voiced by the franchise stars will keep everyone entertained between the forkfuls.

Speaking of forkfuls, the meals are served family style. All tables get the same plate of cheddar biscuits and three bowls of starters. A large plate of four barbecued meats -- or four plant-based offerings, if requested -- follows. Guests choose four of eight available appetizers, and then each diner gets a dessert.

If you read my Rodeo Roundup BBQ overview through the eyes of a potential diner, flip the script and approach it as a Disney shareholder. This new restaurant is going to be a high-turnover machine. It could've charged $10 more a head and had cast members don Woody, Buzz, and Jesse costumes, but that would only keep diners at the table for 90 minutes or more until all of their favorite characters came around.

There's also a method to the family style madness. Food can arrive quickly when every table gets the same first few rounds. The waitstaff can focus on upselling the premium-priced signature beverages. There's no lull of finicky patrons taking forever to browse through a traditional menu. No one is going to be rushed out of Andy's backyard, but it's easy to see folks spending half the time here as they would in the park's other popular table service establishments. It should be one of the resort's most lucrative restaurants, and that can only help Disney's booming theme park operations.

Disney's modest but better-than-expected 8% revenue growth in its latest quarter was fueled almost entirely by its theme parks and consumer products segment. Consumers aren't flinching at higher prices for the escape from reality that national theme parks and regional amusement parks are offering. It's a good time for leisure stocks, and it will remain that way as long as the economy doesn't get a snake in its boots.

 

[RivShore]

the decision was made by a consortium including human resources, Disney’s legal department and multiple executives

I would assume they had very good documentation on the cause for dismissal if HR and legal was heavily involved.