And newcomer, J.J. Abrams' latest Star Wars reboot installment, Star Wars: The Rise of Luke Skywalker, which opened on Dec 20, is on track to pull in a massive 195 million dollars domestically this weekend. Even though the Star Wars franchise has fared far less well under Disney's curatorship, Abrams may be able to redeem the final chapter in the nine-film tale with a billion-dollar run as well.
Disney's dominance can be attributed to its pirate's treasure chest chock full of killer content and powerhouse franchises, which include some of the most successful IP in the world, and the strength of each of Disney's subsidiaries, as envisioned by Iger.
It's no accident that Disney's 2019 feature film release slate consisted entirely of sequels and live-action remakes, with the exception of "Captain Marvel," which benefitted heavily from its Marvel brand.
Each Disney subsidiary pulled its weight to contribute a billion dollars or more of their own branded global IP to Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Distribution record-breaking success this year.
Marvel Studios mustered out Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame; LucasFilm blasted off with Star Wars: The Rise of Luke Skywalker; while Walt Disney Pictures conjured up Aladdin and The Lion King from its robust film catalogue.
And it didn't stop there. Walt Disney Animation Studios frosted the competition with big-ticket blockbusters, Frozen II and family favorite, Incredibles 2, while animation innovator, Pixar, spread some joy with Toy Story 4.
Disney's 2019 record-breaking cache of gold doesn't even count their massive TV revenues, theme park business, or their newly-minted Disney+ streaming service that is has already captured 24 million subscribers in just over a month since launch, with such popular hits as Favreau's The Mandalorian from the Star Wars universe.
Todd Supplee, Partner of PwC's Media and Entertainment Consulting Division, told Xinhua at a recent Variety Innovation Summit, "There is a battle for consumers' attention on steaming platforms. More than 50 percent will terminate their service to get another one."
As Disney shifts it future focus toward its cash cow, Disney+, it will be interesting to see this results in fewer tentpole theatrical releases in favor of funneling more resources into feeding the rapacious Disney+ pipeline.
"Viewers on Disney+ know what they are after," Michael Cerda, VP of Product at Disney+ told Xinhua. "If you have half an hour, you can watch a Pixar short like 'Bao,' it's right there for you. If you have more time, you can go into the whole wide world of Disney, Pixar, Nat Geo, etc."
