News, Analysis and Reviews of the Disney Entertainment Business
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Brought to fans, investors, entrepreneurs, executives, teachers, professors, and students by columnist, economist, novelist, reviewer, podcaster, business reporter and speaker Ray Keating
If you are exhausted from all the holiday festivities, and need a chance to veg for the day, AMC may have the answer for you. On January 1, 2023, AMC Theatres will host “Disney 100 Years of Wonder,” a four-movie marathon featuring 3 movies of the Disney Renaissance, and one newer, yet insanely popular, animated classic. For many younger audience members, this is a great opportunity to see some of Disney’s best animated feature films on the big screen.
Courtesy of AMC Theatres
The marathon is a $30, one-price ticket that includes Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and the newbie (sort of) of the group, Frozen. Guests at this one-day-only presentation also receive a free collectible mini-poster.
The event will be available at select theatres, including the AMC Dine-In at Disney Springs, beginning at noon. (Seats are selling quickly). There is a 6 hour and 40 minute total run time, so settle in! You can check AMC listings for availability in your area.
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
Simba and his pride are back, and they will be performing on two savannas.
New York’s Broadway will be bringing the stage lights back on this fall, and Disney on Broadway has released the return dates for its New York shows. The Lion King, performing at the Minskoff Theatre, roars back into life on September 14, 2021. Aladdin, Disney on Broadway’s second NY show, returns September 28, 2021, to the New Amsterdam Theatre. Tickets are now on sale for both productions.
At the Florida location of Pride Rock, soft performances have begun for “A Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King,” a version of the Broadway-caliber “Festival of the Lion King” that celebrates Simba and his friends in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The adapted version of the live show, with its elaborate costuming, fire twirlers and stilt walkers, has been slightly revamped for both the performers and the audiences’ safety, but still maintains all the energy of your favorite Lion King songs. Sadly, the tumble monkeys and their comical hijinks haven’t been added back to the show just yet.
“A Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King” officially opens to park guests on May 15 at the Harambe Theater. Theme park admission and park reservations are required for the show. Social distancing is in effect in the theatre, with certain benches closed off, thus limiting audience size, so “Be Prepared” to wait for your chance to see the show.
The Lion King is the third longest running show on Broadway, with six indigenous African languages included in the performance. New York Daily News called the production, “A perfect marriage of entertainment and art.” Tickets and information about The Lion King on Broadway are available here. Information on Aladdin, with its famed flying carpet and more than 84 special effects, can be found here.
Disney is currently offering a “Double the Magic” deal celebrating the return of Disney on Broadway. The package allows guests to purchase a ticket to both The Lion King and Aladdin for a combined price starting as low as $149. Disney is also paying the service fees on ticket purchases for the shows, so there are no per-ticket service fees. Exchange and refund policies are also very generous right now, with exchanges permissible up to two hours before the start of the show. (This policy is subject to change as pandemic conditions adapt as well).
Incidentally, if you are a teacher, Disney on Broadway offers an excellent The Lion Kingteacher’s guide and educational videos for using the Broadway show in your classroom, but the guide is easily adaptable to the movie, integrating lots of cross-discipline opportunities for your classes.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
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It has been nearly fourteen months since the lights were dimmed on Broadway stages due to the pandemic, but with the coronavirus showing signs of allowing people to return to some sense of normalcy, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo this week announced that Broadway will be able to reopen on September 14, 2021. Tickets for a few shows even went on sale yesterday, and The Phantom of the Opera goes on sale today for performances beginning October 22. Phantom is Broadway’s longest running show.
According to a statement from the Governor’s office, theaters will be able to open at 100% capacity. The governor’s announcement was met with enthusiasm, as the return of Broadway means not only high-quality entertainment for theatre patrons, but the return of numerous jobs for the industry, from actors to support staff to local restaurants which depend on show traffic each night. The Governor’s office reports that nearly 100,000 jobs are supported by the Broadway shows, with $14.7 billion dollars tied to the New York economy, and prior to the pandemic, nearly 250,000 patrons a week attended Broadway shows.
“We are thrilled that Governor Cuomo clearly recognizes the impact of Broadway’s return on the city and state’s economy and the complexity of restarting an entire industry that has been dormant for over a year,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. “Nothing beats Broadway. The theatre owners, producers, and other League members will continue to work with the NY State Department of Health and the Governor to coordinate the industry’s return and the related health and safety protocols required to do so. We remain cautiously optimistic about Broadway’s ability to resume performances this fall and are happy that fans can start buying tickets again.”
But while some shows might be prepared to raise their curtains in September, others may need more time to reopen, due to rehearsal schedules, staffing concerns, and theatre logistics.The Music ManandDiana: The Musical have both reported December starts for their performances. It is expected that each Broadway show will announce their sale dates, performance schedules and timelines on a show-by-show basis. A number of the theatres, however, are expected to share their plans in the next few days, including Hamilton and The Lion King.
According to the Broadway League, when Broadway shut down on March 12, 2020, thirty-one productions were running, including eight new shows in previews, with another eight productions in rehearsals for spring openings. Disney had three shows performing: Frozen, The Lion King and Aladdin. Sadly, Frozen saw its final performance the evening of the shutdowns, and will not be returning to the New York stage.
For the most up-to-date new performance schedule for the shows, head to each show’s own website, or to the Broadway League’s website.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!
The Broadway League today (October 9) announced that New York City’s Broadway theatres will extend the suspension of performances through May 30, 2021, due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Individual theatres will then determine the start dates and performance schedules for their respective shows. As more information becomes available and theatres solidify the dates for raising their curtains, The Broadway League will make the schedules available to theatre patrons.
After closing March 12 due to rising coronavirus numbers and state restrictions, the theatres hoped to reopen sometime in January. (The first reopening had been anticipated for Labor Day 2020... but obviously that didn’t happen.) Some shows, such as Disney’s Frozen at the St. James Theatre, announced that they had taken their final curtain calls, and would not return post-pandemic. (See the DisneyBizJournal story here.)
“With nearly 97,000 workers who rely on Broadway for their livelihood and an annual economic impact of $14.8 billion to the city, our membership is committed to re-opening as soon as conditions permit us to do so. We are working tirelessly with multiple partners on sustaining the industry once we raise our curtains again,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League.
Shows on hiatus right now include Disney’s Aladdin at the New Amsterdam Theatre and The Lion King at the Minskoff Theatre. The Broadway on Tour version of Disney’s Frozen has touring dates scheduled in a number of cities beginning in February, as does The Lion King tour (beginning in March), but performances of the tours may be canceled or postponed due to the evolving coronavirus situation.Check with the specific theatre’s box office or website for clarifications, refunds and information.
Guests who purchased tickets for Broadway performances through May 30, 2021, should contact their point of purchase for refunds or exchanges. For additional COVID-19 theatre updates, go to The Broadway League website here.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
With the Florida, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai Parks reopening with limited character interactions under COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, you might be missing giving Mickey a hug or dancing with Goofy at Chef Mickey’s. (That’s a double whammy….No buffets and no character close-ups right now!) Enchanting interactions with the characters are what make waiting in meet-and-greet lines for an hour worth the wait (or make paying astronomical prices for mediocre buffet food worth the investment of time and money)!
If you need a quick shot of characters doing silly stuff with actual humans, check out this short (six minutes or so) compilation of character exchanges with Gijs Van Winkelhof. We’ve featured Gijs on this site before. He’s the extraordinary, self-taught piano player from the Netherlands who performs at the Disneyland Hotel in Disneyland Paris. (See our DisneyBizJournal review of his performances here.)
Sadly, this is as close as we may get to a character interaction for the time being! Disney has promised character appearances in the park, but from what we’ve seen in the already-opened parks, these character sightings are being done in creative ways to allow guests to see their favs, while still keeping the “stars” at a protective distance for both families’ and cast members’ safety.
Thanks to Gijs for sharing these guest videos of his piano performances with his Disney buddies. Hopefully, it will tide you over while you wait for your own chance to interact with the Disney crew.
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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
Over the weekend, Disney’s Frozen 2 topped $1 billion in box office receipts. That makes the sixth Disney release in 2019 to exceed the billion-dollar mark.
According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, Frozen 2 has now raked in $1.03 billion worldwide. The other five billion-dollar babies so far this year for Disney have been:
• Captain Marvel at $1.13 billion
• Aladdin at $1.07 billion
• The Lion King at $1.66 billion
• Avengers: Endgame at $2.8 billion
• Toy Story 4 at $1.07 billion
But, of course, the next billion-dollar earner opens later this week – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. That, too, will top a billion (perhaps $2 billion?).
Much has been made of Disney fumbling Star Wars. But The Mandalorian on Disney+ and the huge demand for the Disney World ride Rise of the Resistance tell another story. If director J.J. Abrams erases the failure (or at least reduces the sting) of Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, most negative talk about Star Wars will give way to excitement about what’s next.
Disney hit a box-office record for the entire year, but it’s only July, according to a Hollywood Reporter article.
Keeping in mind that these comparisons are in nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation (my standard economist disclaimer), Disney has pulled in a total of $7.67 billion globally so far this year, according to the Reporter, which surpasses the previous full-year record of $7.61 billion, which also was held by Disney for 2016.
For good measure, Disney’s $5.09 billion internationally ranks as the first time international revenues have moved beyond $5 billion for a studio.
Disney also is on track to break its 2016 record of having four films break the $1 billion mark – with Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Aladdin and both Toy Story 4 and The Lion King are on track to do so shortly.
And there’s more to come, including Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Frozen II and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as well as films moved under the Disney umbrella with the Fox merger, such as to be Ad Astra, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Ford v. Ferrari.
One of the interesting questions looking ahead is: Will Disney in future years be able to match what it has accomplished at the box office in 2019? Although, how much will Disney care given its investment in the Disney+ streaming service and the ongoing shift of video entertainment from the theater to the home?
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
If you enjoyed this article, and since I am the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?
4) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.
Accusations of businesses looking only at the short run usually are hurled by politicians, who, of course, specialize in short-run decisions. In reality, business owners and CEOs make decisions for a wide variety of reasons, and few, if any, are about trying to get a short-term kick at the expense of long-run well-being.
The latest example is the purchase of Fox by Disney. We’re seeing via the box office that this acquisition wasn’t about boosting Disney’s bottom line in the short term.
When talking about 2019 Disney movies that were in the Disney column prior to the Fox merger, the House of Mouse is looking good in the short run, and for further building its brand and bottom line over the long haul. Disney is three for four so far, with the box office hits being Captain Marvel (global gross of $1.13 billion), Avengers: Endgame ($2.73 billion, so far) and Aladdin ($607.6 million, so far), with Dumbo ($350.6 million) being the miss.
And it’s hard to see a miss coming among the pre-Fox-merger Disney line-up, with Toy Story 4, The Lion King, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Frozen II and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on the way through the end of the year.
However, the 20th Century Fox movies being released post-merger with Disney is a different story. Breakthrough offered a nice return with a box office take at $50.2 million on only a $14 million production budget. But it got ugly with the next two films.
The botched Tolkien movie didn’t appeal to Tolkien fans, and hence it made a measly $7.7 million.
And then there’s Dark Phoenix, the X-Men movie that just opened on June 7. It took in only $32.8 million domestically in its opening weekend, and a total global take of $136.6 million. Oh yes, and critics hate it, and audiences are less than pleased. With an enormous budget – widely reported at $200 million – Dark Phoenix is on its way to being a big box office bomb.
And the remaining Fox releases for 2019 look like a mixed bag. And while no one knows in the movie business what will hit and what will miss until the lights go down for audiences, the keys appear to be Ad Astra, Terminator: Dark Fate, Ford v. Ferrari and Spies in Disguise.
Ad Astra and Ford v. Ferrari particularly look intriguing. But we’ll have to see.
The sure bet, if you will, for Disney with the Fox deal was the acquisition of a wide assortment of IP that Disney will use, such as for its streaming service Disney+, and build on as well. For example, with Fox never having done anything well with the Fantastic Four and ending its X-Men run with two busts (Dark Phoenix and X-Men: Apocalypse) – while Logan was quite good, I’m not sure what to do with Deadpool, and who knows what will happen with The New Mutants – it will be Disney’s turn with these and a wide assortment of other properties to reboot and re-energize.
That’s a long-run thing.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
If you enjoyed this article, and since I am the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?
1) Please join the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories email list, and get the upcoming short story, THE TRAITOR, for free! Sign up here.
3) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.
DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
DisneyBizJournal.com Box Office Rating: $$$$ out of $$$$
Remakes have a long history in Hollywood. But there are risks.
The advantage of the remake is that successful films usually are the ones that get remade (that might seem like a “duh” comment, but there have been dubious movies that got remade, like Ocean’s 11), so there’s proof that audiences, at least at some point in the past, were on board. However, if a remake does a real disservice to a beloved movie, filmgoers, not to mention critics, will be ruthless in their punishment.
The Movie
The new live-action Aladdin is a solid effort. It’s a largely enjoyable movie that, while not as good as the 1992 animated movie, still honors that film.
Disney is in the midst of live-action (or live-action and CGI) remakes of the movies that re-energized Disney animation in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Those films were The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). Those four films earned love from the critics and at the box office. Indeed, each now falls into the category of a classic. Choosing to remake such films can be seen as an opportunity or an unwarranted risk.
Disney chose to see opportunity. So, the remade Beauty and the Beast was released in 2017, followed by Aladdin, The Lion King coming this July, and The Little Mermaid is in the works.
The new Aladdin benefits first and foremost from wise casting choices. While no one can be Robin Williams as the Genie, Will Smith offers a fun ... well ... very Will Smith performance. It’s hard to think of someone else who could have pulled this off given the shadow of Williams.
The biggest plusses for the movie were Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine. They shine in their respective roles. Also, Nasim Pedrad is delightful as Dalia.
The singing and dancing work well, including the songs we love from the original, such as “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me.” The only song that’s a bit too “on the nose” was the new “Speechless.”
Also, I had serious doubts that Guy Ritchie being the right choice to direct an Aladdin remake, but he pulled it off. The only clear weakness in the film is uneven CGI effects.
In the end, this new Aladdin makes for an enjoyable trip to the theater that clearly benefits from tapping into some Disney nostalgia.
The Box Office
As for the box office, the performance of the 1992 Aladdin was stupendous, with a production budget of $28 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, and a global box office take of $504 million. Wow, now that’s a rate of return!
The new Aladdin’s production budget has been reported at $183 million. As of today (May 26), BoxOfficeMojo.com is reporting that the global box office take – for a film that just opened on May 24 – at $207 million. Even with adding half or more of the production budget for marketing, this 2019 version of Aladdin is on its way to big profits.
By the way, such a success would make Disney two-for-two at the box office on its remakes of those late-80s, early-90s classics since Beauty and the Beast (2017) pulled in $1.26 billion on a production budget of $160 million. On these recent remakes, Disney’s bet on opportunity has paid off, so far.
Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
If you enjoyed this article, and since I’m the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?
1) Please join the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories email list, and get the upcoming short story, THE TRAITOR, for free! Sign up here.
3) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.
With the new live action Aladdin movie opening this week (May 24) and Lion King not far behind (July 19), Disney has taken the opportunity to introduce a series of limited edition snack treats at the parks in celebration.
The street vendors of Agrabah never had it so good. There are a number of new movie-themed snacks scattered around the parks. In Disney Springs, Amorette’s has an absolutely STUNNING petit cake themed with a magic carpet and Genie’s lamp ($16.00), while Vivoli il Gelato has the blue sprinkled-salted caramel-nutella brownie Magic Lamp Milkshake; Candy Cauldron and Goofy’s Candy Company have Aladdin-themed caramel apples dressed as Genie, Aladdin and Jasmine; and Joffrey’s will top your latte with Aladdin Magic Lamps (or Lion King art). There’s also a chocolate blue-and-yellow Genie’s lamp-themed cupcake at All Star Music or a similar Magic Lamp Cupcake at Saratoga Springs; and the Wish Granted glazed donut at Sunshine Tree Terrace with gold sugar sprinkles, a chocolate Genie lamp, and blue cotton candy.
Celebrating the 25thAnniversary of the original Lion King, there are a few new treats around the Animal Kingdom paying tribute to that Disney classic. Particularly Instagram-worthy is the Lion King Bugs ‘N Grubs cone honoring Timon and Pumba’s favorite snack. The chocolate soft serve is adorned with cookie “dirt,” a chocolate bug, and gummy worms in a green waffle cone. There is also the Asante Slush, a shaved ice with mango and watermelon syrup; Simba’s Sunset Dole Whip, a pineapple Dole Whip layered with red watermelon, strawberry and coconut flavored syrup; and the Simba’s Ice Cream Sandwich with a chocolate frosting mane and solid chocolate tail. (Each of the Lion Kingtreats are snack credit eligible on the Disney Dining Plan.)
Happy Birthday, Goof!
May 25this Goofy’s 87thbirthday! Celebrate by stopping by Goofy’s Candy Company for a caramel apple or cupcake that looks like the Goof-ster!
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Sneak Peek
Not ready to brave the crowds arriving at Galaxy’s Edge next week? Weren’t one of the lucky ones to score a reservation for the opening days of the California-based location? Have no fear (Fear is the path to the dark side anyway…)
On May 29th, Disney Parks Blog will LIVE stream a special dedication ceremony ahead of the official May 31stopening. The dedication ceremony will take place at 8:20 PDT/11:20 pm EDT.
Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
From Ray Keating: If you enjoyed this article, and since I'm the author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels, can I ask you to take at least one (preferably more) of the following steps?
1) Please join the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and short stories email list, and get the upcoming short story, THE TRAITOR, for free! Sign up here.
3) Become a member of the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship, and get all kinds of FREE stuff, including each new book in the Pastor Stephen grant series. Check out the levels and benefits here.
