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Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images2022 can be summed up as a disaster for The Walt Disney Company. We provide four 2023 predictions that Disney’s Bob Iger will accomplish this year to get the House of Mouse back on track.
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Last year was the worst year for Disney’s stock in more than five decades; the share decline couldn’t seem to find an eventual bottom.
It’s no secret that shares of The Walt Disney Company have been on a downward trend during the past couple of years. In March 2020, the stock plummeted on Wall Street when the theme parks were forced to close because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was understandable. Following the pandemic low, Disney Plus subscriptions grew, the Disney Parks eventually reopened, and people continued to shop for Disney merchandise. This coincided with the stock doubling from its dreadful pandemic lows in early 2021 to as high as $197 per share.
However, due to overall market forces and continuous missteps from former CEO Bob Chapek, shares of the entertainment giant failed to live up to the reliable stock it once was and have had the worst year since 1974.
Now that Disney CEO Bob Iger has returned, there is reason to believe that The Walt Disney Company will accomplish the following feats in 2023. We list our latest predictions below.
Related: Iger Tells Disney Allies Chapek Was Terrible and Incompetent
Disney Plus Will Reach 275 Million Streaming Subscribers
The Walt Disney Company and Bob Iger have the chance to add another 40 million subscribers to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ in 2023.
Disney and Iger are promising to focus more on turning a profit from its streaming business in 2023. While it may be raising prices and curbing content expense growth, increasing its subscriber base will still play a significant role in the path toward profits.
Related: What Does Disney’s Future Look Like, Streaming or Parks?
Disney Parks Will Continue to Recover
Disney’s parks and experiences revenue grew 73% in 2022, fully recovering from 2019 figures. Disney expects to build on that growth in 2023.
This year, the Disney Parks division is celebrating its 100th anniversary and holding events at the parks throughout the year. It’ll have unique decor, food, and new attractions for diehard Disney fans. The milestone could attract better-than-average attendance throughout 2023.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland appear to be increasing the crowd capacity at their parks, opening new and temporarily dormant rides. Disney’s Shanghai Park is now fully open for business, too. That should drive incremental revenue over 2022 when China’s COVID-19 policies more restrict it.
One of the significant factors driving revenue in 2022 was changing the Disney Parks ticket prices and the Genie+ program. While CEO Bob Iger may look to make the experience more user-friendly for Guests, investors and fans shouldn’t expect him to roll back the changes pushing revenue per Guest higher.
Disney Will Have Multiple Billion Dollar Box Office Hits
Disney has several movies on the docket for its next billion-dollar release following Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), but none of them may reach the milestone.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe enters Phase 5 at the start of 2023 with the next installment of Ant-Man (2015). It’ll continue in the summer with the third entry in the Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) series. Both could be box office hits, and $1 billion in ticket sales isn’t unfathomable. But that would be surprising, given how the movie business has performed in the last few years.
Disney’s most sure-to-be $1 billion release could be The Little Mermaid (2023). Live-action remakes have proven successful, with both 2019 releases topping $1 billion. But it’ll take a lot to drive $1 billion in ticket sales for a film that isn’t chock-full of action scenes that must be experienced on the big screen for full effect.
Disney’s 2023 films could do much better at the box office than its 2022 slate, but a billion-dollar release is not a sure bet. Importantly, though, they may play an essential role in driving subscribers to Disney Plus and keeping them subscribed throughout the year.
Related: Iger’s Greatest Challenge at Disney: Finding The Next Chapek
Shares of The Walt Disney Company Recover in 2023
Disney’s stock may continue to move lower from where it currently trades, but the odds are good that it will produce financial results that push it higher by the end of 2023. Looking at every financial metric possible, the shares of Disney are trading at a steep discount. For context, the stock is now cheaper than before it announced and launched Disney Plus. If we are to avoid an economic recession, there is a good chance the stock could trade higher by year-end.
2023 is an essential year for Disney CEO Bob Iger and The Walt Disney Company. As we move into 2023, please keep visiting us at Inside The Magic to stay updated with the latest news on Disney Parks, Disney Plus, and everything else related to Disney.
Which of the four predictions is most likely to happen for Disney in 2023? Let us know your 2023 prediction for Disney by leaving us a comment below.
Disclosure: Inside the Magic has no stock, option, or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned. Inside the Magic does not have any business relationships with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Additional disclosure: The analysis is provided exclusively for informational purposes and should not be considered professional investment advice. Before investing, please conduct in-depth personal research and utmost due diligence, as there are many risks associated with the trade, including capital loss.