Disney’s stock has risen by around 30% already this year. The company has out-earned rival film studios and may well be poised to crush Netflix.
Disney’s Avengers: Endgame ruled the box office this weekend, torching all-time single-day, weekend and per-screen records on its way to well over $1 billion in global ticket sales. It was just the latest victory for Disney, which has boasted the No. 1 grossing movie every year since 2012 and been the top grossing film studio since 2016.
The big picture: Disney is on pace to take a 29.1% share of box office receipts in 2019, the largest percentage on record, according to data from Nash Information Services.
Some highlights of Disney’s success:
- Since 1995, Disney movies have generated $36.9 billion in domestic box office revenue and accounted for 16.4% of total market share among movie studios.
- To put that into perspective, Disney’s releases have earned more than the lowest four of the world’s top 10 movie studios combined during that time.
- Disney’s films have earned almost $2.5 billion more than No. 2 ranked Warner Bros., despite releasing 200 fewer movies. They have also out-earned No. 3 studio Sony by more than $9.5 billion, despite releasing nearly 150 fewer films.
Why it matters to the market: Disney’s stock has risen by around 30% so far this year, driven by a 10% gain after unveiling details of its new $6.99 per month Disney+ streaming service in April.
Wall Street is bullish on Disney’s future, with 70% of analysts holding a “buy” rating. While investors have not necessarily soured on Netflix, it’s clear that they view Disney as a major threat to the giant.
Netflix stock has gained close to 40% this year, but has seen pullbacks coinciding with recent big gains from its rival.
Furthermore, Disney’s box office cash grab may just be getting started. This year will also see the release of blockbusters such as Toy Story 4, Frozen 2, Spiderman: Far from Home, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Star Wars: The Last Skywalker, to name just a few.
