The Magic Kingdom has hit hard times, and while the pandemic makes a good scapegoat, the reality is a harsher mistress. In recent years Disney has spat in the face of its customer base (middle-American families), and they have returned the favor.
Related: Paying a Price: Can Disney or Democrats Get Back in that “Closet”?
From Grooming to vaccine mandates, the House The Mouse Built has chosen a path that has led them where they are today.
“The Board has concluded that as Disney embarks on an increasingly complex period of industry transformation, Bob Iger is uniquely situated to lead the Company through this pivotal period,” Board Chairwoman Susan Arnold said in a statement. … The shakeup came just a week after the company announced hiring freeze and layoffs, signaling an increasingly gloomy economic outlook amid what analysts warn is a looming recession.
Bob Chapek is the guy who got the boot in the wake of a long list of declines across the drawing board.
- In 2021, Disney closed 60 North American stores.
- Park attendance is down.
- Declining growth from Disney+
- Pixar is losing money as movies go direct to streaming to prop up Disney+
- They killed the Star Wars Brand
- They are killing the Marvel Brand
- Higher Park prices and poorer service.
All the while clinging (bitterly!) to the thing most responsible for their decline. They’d rather appease #woke activists and identity-politics culture warriors than regular Americans.
Yes, the former is louder and has better “marketing,” but there are not enough of them to prop up your (approximately) 100 billion dollar business. You need the people you’ve been spitting on, and they won’t have it, and does Bob Iger even sense that?
He’s been along for this ride for a good stretch, and while he was not the CEO from 2020 until now, he was still around. His hands are dirty. But he’s accepted the offer to return, so that might be good for America if not for Dinsey.
There were rumors he might run for President. I doubt he’ll make that leap now that he has agreed to try and right the House that Walt Built.
What happens to Disney remains unclear. They are not doomed, but I doubt Bob Iger as Disney’s fairy godmother, will be able to wave a wand and fix what’s broken. Mismanaging popular brands is one thing. Those you can get back on track. Breaking people’s trust and faith is another and much harder to repair.
HT | Just The News
