So Disney just announced they’re getting a new CEO, and honestly? It’s about time. Meet Josh D’Amaro, the guy who’s been running Disney’s theme parks and apparently still rides the attractions himself to make sure they don’t suck. That’s either dedication or the best job perk ever.
Here’s the deal: Disney has been having what you might call a “rough patch” lately. And by rough patch, I mean their stock has dropped 42% over five years while everyone else was making money hand over fist. Ouch.
The Bob Saga Continues
Remember Bob Iger? The guy who bought Marvel, Star Wars, and basically everything else that makes money? He stepped down in 2020, handed the keys to Bob Chapek, and… well, let’s just say Chapek made some choices. Bad ones. So bad that Iger had to come back in 2022 like some corporate superhero, except even he couldn’t fully fix the mess.
The numbers don’t lie: Disney’s latest earnings were flatter than a pancake. Revenue stayed put at $22.5 billion, earnings actually dropped 3%, and the stock fell another 7% because apparently investors weren’t impressed. Shocking, I know.
When Movies Become Money Pits
Want to know how bad things got? Disney’s live-action Snow White remake – you know, the one nobody asked for – lost them around $300 million. Three. Hundred. Million. That’s not a typo. They spent $336.5 million making it, and it only brought in $206 million worldwide. Even with creative accounting, that’s a spectacular face-plant.
This is what happens when you remake everything instead of, you know, making new stuff people actually want to see.
Enter the Parks Guy
But here’s where it gets interesting. D’Amaro isn’t some Wall Street suit – he’s been with Disney for 28 years and actually understands what makes the company special. The parks division he runs brought in $36 billion last year, which is basically keeping the lights on while the movie division figures out how to stop lighting money on fire.
The guy reportedly still visits parks daily and waits in line like a regular person. When’s the last time you heard of a CEO doing that? It’s either brilliant market research or he really loves roller coasters.
The Bottom Line
Disney’s trading at a forward P/E of around 14, which is actually pretty reasonable for a company this size. Translation: the stock might be cheap right now if D’Amaro can work some magic.
The bet here is simple – can a parks guy who understands customer experience fix a company that’s forgotten how to make movies people want to watch? It’s not the craziest turnaround story we’ve seen, and Disney still has some of the most valuable intellectual property on the planet.
Sometimes the best CEOs are the ones who remember that business is ultimately about making customers happy. And if D’Amaro can bring that theme park magic to the rest of Disney, investors might finally have something to smile about again.
Just maybe don’t expect any more $300 million Snow White remakes.