Speaking to a crowd of more than 12,000 super fans, Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro extolled the power of the Mouse House’s most faithful.
“When you add it all up, Disney has something no other brand on Earth can claim,” he said during a Friday night film and TV presentation at Anaheim’s Honda Center for the Disney D23 fan convention. “Not just a customer base. Not just an audience. But an actual connection.”
The crowd roared its approval.
As Hollywood girds itself for a potentially seismic merger and the industry strategizes on the best way to reach new audiences, Disney clearly is betting on its most loyal followers to help it ride the wave of change.
Thousands of those Disney devotees packed the Anaheim Convention Center and Honda Center last weekend to attend the company’s D23 fan event, where nary a non-Disney costume or t-shirt was in sight.
They dressed up in elaborate cosplay of their favorite characters, ranging from Star Wars’ Queen Amidala to the Sanderson sisters of “Hocus Pocus,” many also clutching large plastic bags full of Disney merchandise.
They gave D’Amaro a rock star’s welcome in his first address as CEO to the crowd of Disney fan club members.
Throughout Friday night’s presentation, the largely adult crowd gasped and laughed, almost on cue, cheering for the Jonas Brothers, Anne Hathaway and director Jon Favreau, but also for new footage of “The Bluey Movie,” set for release next year. Outside of Anaheim, D23-related videos on Disney’s own social posts got more than 1 billion views (not including posts from actors, attendees or individual brands).
Unveiling plans at D23 is like playing in front of the home crowd. But the strategy Disney laid out shows that a major part of the company’s plans in the ever-important fight for consumers’ attention involves harnessing its loyal fans.
That includes expansions of its popular franchises. Friday’s entertainment presentation gave details on a parade of sequels to fan favorites, including Pixar’s “Incredibles 3” and “Coco 2,” as well as live-action “Lilo & Stitch 2,” “Princess Diaries 3,” “Zootopia 3” and “Frozen III.”
Sequels generally perform well for Disney. 2024’s “Inside Out 2” made nearly $1.7 billion in global box office revenue, while June’s “Toy Story 5” already grossed more than $1.1 billion in just about two months.
But franchises can’t go on forever, and audiences have voted with their feet this summer that they want original films and fresh interpretations (just look at the success of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” A24’s “Backrooms” and Focus Features’ “Obsession”).
During his speech, D’Amaro did pledge a commitment to new stories and experiences. Pixar unveiled plans for a 2028 original film called “Ghost Market,” about a young content creator who finds hungry ghosts in Hawaii while searching for a snack. And Disney Animation will have “Clay” later that year starring Kieran Culkin about a mentor-mentee relationship gone awry.
In another nod to fans, Disney gave longtime Disneyland watchers the news they’d been hoping for — a redesign of the once-futuristic Tomorrowland in Anaheim.
Disney’s other fan-centric plans include a greater relationship with creators through its Verts vertical video feed on Disney+. Nearly two weeks ago, Disney announced a partnership with TikTok that will bring curated creator-made videos about Disney shows and movies to the Disney+ app.
It’s a recognition that the company needs to increase engagement on the app, and a part of D’Amaro’s plans to make Disney+ the “digital centerpiece” of the company.
But it’s also a sign that Disney sees fans — and fans who are creators — as its future. On Friday afternoon, Disney’s marketing team hosted a cocktail party for influencers. And company executives noted that these creators one day could become the next Disney stars.
“Far be it from us to keep fans from getting exactly what they want in the format that they want it in,” Eric Schrier, Disney’s president of direct-to-consumer international originals, strategic programming and emerging media, said during a Friday media presentation.
“They’re not wedded to a specific set time. That’s a traditional way of thinking about things, but we’re beyond that now and we’re thinking about, if this is how fans are consuming and engaging in our stories and with our characters, then why not give them what they want on our service and our platform?” Schrier said.
Stuff We Wrote
Film shoots
Number of the week
Powered by the continued success of Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (which crossed $2 billion globally last weekend) and Universal Pictures’ “The Odyssey,” the year-to-date box office stands at about $6.86 billion, a 19.4% improvement on the same time period last year.
More encouraging, the year so far is now down about only 7.7% compared to 2019, according to data from Rentrak.
That’s given analysts hope that this will be the year the box office reaches $10 billion, a feat the industry hasn’t accomplished since before the pandemic. Still to come this year are the potential dual heavyweights of Disney and Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Doomsday” and Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment’s “Dune: Part Three.”
What I’m watching
Figured it wasn’t too late for me to start “Hacks,” even though the HBO Max show just wrapped its final season. With the 30-min episodes and zippy, witty dialogue, I’m already speeding my way through Season 1.
