Disney Offers Upcoming Schedule for D23 Entertainment Showcase

With Marvel announcing the return of the Russo brothers and Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU at Comic Con’s Hall H a few weeks ago, anticipation for surprises at D23 in Anaheim this weekend is at an all-time high. Will attendees get a taste of the next installment in James Cameron’s Avatar saga? Is footage from Zootopia 2 or Pixar’s latest original Elio ready to be seen? With Marvel Comic Con news remaining relatively sparse, will we hear more about some of their bigger plans, or even see trailers for Disney+ series like Agatha All Along and Daredevil: Born Again? The possibilities are endless, and fans can’t wait to find out more.

Unlike many traditional companies struggling with an industry recession and declining box office revenues, Disney continues to come out on top, with two releases this summer that have independently and collectively helped rescue theaters from alarmingly low ticket sales. First, in June, Pixar’s sequel “Inside Out 2” exceeded expectations, earning $295 million in its worldwide opening weekend, the first film since last year’s “Barbie” to earn more than $100 million in its debut and the biggest opening for an animated film, taking into account exchange rates. It has since earned $1.5 billion and remains in theaters, but faces stiff competition from Disney’s other big summer success, “Deadpool & Wolverine.” While the film prides itself on being less kid-friendly than “Inside Out 2,” it still seems to be appealing to large audiences, including families, earning a record $444 million in its worldwide opening weekend. The film’s current gross is $924 million, but it will likely cross the billion-dollar mark this weekend or next.

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As if the news couldn’t get any better, Disney this week happily reported during its quarterly earnings that the company had finally turned a profit on streaming, with revenue up 15% this spring. Disney as a whole also reported operating income of $4.225 billion, up 19% from its last earnings report, largely due to the box office performance of “Inside Out 2,” but revenue from “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” a franchise that came to Disney after the Fox acquisition, also added to the mix.

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