We're Breaking Down The Walt Disney Company's Expectations for 2023

We usually learn a lot during Disney’s earnings calls.

©Disney

The earnings call for Quarter 4 just happened, and we found out updated Disney+ subscriber numbers, saw changes to Disney’s stock, and more. Disney also spoke about the future — what’s expected for 2023. So, let’s break down what was said.

First, a bunch of movies were mentioned by Disney CEO Bob Chapek. Disney seems to be expecting a significant amount of revenue from upcoming films that will have theatrical releases. They specifically mentioned that audiences are returning to the box office to see movies. And, the movies that Disney has coming out in 2023 are sure to be big.

For example, 3 Marvel movies are releasing in 2023 — Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, and The Marvels.

©Marvel

The live-action The Little Mermaid will be released, as will the new Haunted Mansion movie. Pixar will also be releasing a new movie — Elemental — and the 5th Indiana Jones movie will be released. So, it’s safe to say that there is a lot of potential for money to be made from these movies at the theaters.

During the earnings call, it was also mentioned that Disney+ core subscribers are expected to grow in Quarter 2. These direct-to-consumer expectations are due to the upcoming content Disney has and the price increases.

©Disney

Disney Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said that they expect the total company revenue and income for 2023 to both grow at a high single-digit percentage rate.

As for the theme parks, it was asked during the call what Disney would do if there are potential downtimes, and what would be different now compared to previous times things were slow at the parks.

McCarthy said that compared to the last economic slow-down, they now have more commercial tools and leverage. One of these tools is discounting, which she said Disney will continue to use. She said discounts are effective for managing yield, but Disney will not be using it to the extent they did during the last recession.

She also talked about how Park Pass Reservations allow them to manage attendance and see what kind of demand they have. Disney can be flexible and adjust their capacity.

McCarthy also mentioned that they could have more flexibility in using the Annual Pass Program if needed. But, keep in mind these are all just potential things that could happen if the economy gets worse.

Stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney news and updates.