Walt Disney’s movie studio is richer than your movie studio — and they’re having a monstrous 2019 to prove it. Why? Because they own damn near every single Hollywood franchise in existence.
The “live action,” but clearly very animated, remake of “Lion King” roared into theaters and snatched up an estimated $185m in domestic ticket sales, while “Avengers: Endgame” just surpassed Avatar as the highest grossing movie ever (before inflation).
And that was just last weekend…
The “Aladdin” remake will soon pass $1B worldwide, the latest “Toy Story” is on track as well, Marvel’s “Phase Four” plan was just announced and “Frozen 2” hasn’t even come out yet.
Bottom line: Disney currently holds a staggering 40% of the domestic box office this year, and for any studio that still believes they aren’t merely small potatoes comparatively, Elsa has some advice for you…
‘Let it go’
Unfortunately over the last 3 decades, that exact kind of thinking has led to stagnant industry growth.
For years, mid level studios have dropped like flies as Disney, and a few other distant rivals, take up all the red-carpet real estate with existing IP.
Analysts don’t see this trend slowing down anytime soon and, as original stories continue to decrease, many worry the industry will only continue to shrink.
Disney
