The Walt Disney Company reported its FY2025 second quarter earnings on Wednesday, with CEO Bob Iger speaking from Abu Dhabi — the future location of the seventh Disney theme park resort.
“In the 102-year history of The Walt Disney Company, there have been many defining moments, and countless achievements. One such moment was the opening of Disneyland in 1955. Now, 70 years later, having entertained four billion guests across six Disney theme park destinations around the world, we are celebrating another great moment in our storied history,” Iger said during his post-earnings remarks on Wednesday.
The seventh Disney theme park resort, which was announced earlier on Wednesday, “will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati,” he added.
“This seventh Disney theme park resort will rise from the shores of this land in spectacular fashion, blending wonderful Disney stories and characters with the cultures and tastes of this country and this region,” he said. “It will combine contemporary architecture and cutting-edge technology with the timeless magic of Disney to offer guests deeply immersive experiences in unique and modern ways.”
Iger continued by saying that “our focus must always be on building for tomorrow as much as it is on managing for today.”
“That eye toward the future and driving growth is central to the important work we’ve done advancing our four strategic priorities, and looking at our second quarter results, we’re making excellent progress,” he said.
Moving to Disney’s entertainment segment, Iger noted that “our feature films continue to enjoy success at the global box office. Thunderbolts* from Marvel Studios opened this past week. It is currently the No. 1 movie in the world, and the best reviewed Marvel film in the last few years.”
Iger said that the company is excited about its upcoming theatrical slate for the remainder of the year. The slate includes this month’s highly anticipated live-action Lilo & Stitch, Pixar’s Elio in June, Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps in July, August’s Freakier Friday, November’s Zootopia 2 from Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Avatar: Fire and Ash in December.
He also mentioned that Disney is “quite pleased with the performance of our general entertainment and news programming.”
As for streaming, Iger said it remains “a key priority and a core growth platform for Disney, and as we move forward, our improvements in the product will continue to enhance the user experience.”
When it comes to ESPN, Iger highlighted that “sports viewership trends continue to be healthy.”
“ESPN’s Q2 primetime audience among the key 18-49 demographic was up 32%, making it ESPN’s most watched Q2 in primetime ever, driven by ESPN’s fantastic programming, including NFL and College Football, the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament, and other exciting events,” he said.
Iger also brought up the launch of ESPN’s exciting new direct-to-consumer product offering, saying that “we look forward to sharing pricing and timing details very soon.”
Iger concluded Wednesday’s earnings call by reiterating that it’s been “an excellent first half of the fiscal year, with strong results powered by our disciplined and focused growth strategy.”
The information above should be read together with Disney’s Q2 FY 25 Earnings Report, Form 10-Q, prepared earnings remarks (executive commentary), and earnings call (all available here), which discuss additional information, including additional challenges and risks the company’s businesses face and additional information about Q2 performance.
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