I fully grasp the magnitude of those losses. In the 5 years prior to 2020, Disney averaged $10B in net profit per year. In 2020, they swung to a $2B loss. Yes, that’s a huge loss, but it’s really a blip for a well capitalized (and lightly leveraged) company like Disney. In addition, profitability has quickly returned, with 2021 showing a $2B net profit, even while costs have risen and capacity has still been constrained at the parks and in the theaters. Disney does not need the (relatively) small additional revenue provided by these increases, and definitely not when they’re causing as much negative perception as they are.
Most companies have been much more careful about the perception of price increases or service cutbacks. Disney does not need to increase prices to ensure sustainability of the business, yet they’re raising prices without much concern for the perceived impacts. Pretty short sighted IMHO.
It is interesting to note that they held off on increases in ticket prices to WDW - I can’t imagine they’re not feeling the effects of inflation there as well, but with Universal making major improvements, I’m guessing the competition is more pressing than the need to increase revenue.
I could be way off base - but too much of the recent changes point to charging more / giving less because you can, and not because it’s the best way to provide value to your shareholders and your customers. I guess time will tell.