This is the article that appeared in the March 2024 edition of Catalyst, our monthly journal. The date that prints out reflects the day that it was uploaded to our website. For a more accurate date of when the article was first published, check out the news release, here.
Disney had a strong fourth quarter last year, but overall 2023 was not kind to the company. How much a role our documentary played in that development we cannot say with any precision, but it is fatuous to say it was without effect.
In terms of market share, Disney slid to second place last year; Universal Pictures came out on top. Also, for the first time in many years, Disney didn’t have one of the top three movies. Pixar, the Disney branch most responsible for pushing the LGBT agenda, did so badly that it shed 20 percent of its staff; more than 300 employees have been let go. In addition, attendance at Disney theme parks declined in 2023.
The good news is that there are signs that Disney got the memo. In September, after a summer of lousy box office receipts, its CEO, Bob Iger, told investors he will seek to “quiet the noise.” The noise came from parents who do not want to expose their children to raunch.
At the end of November, we learned from a corporate disclosure that Disney is rethinking its woke policies. It admitted to being out of touch with public sentiment.
When investors revolt, even guys like Iger have to listen. He said something in early December at a summit in New York that was unexpected. “Creators lost sight of what their No. 1 objective needed to be. We have to entertain first. It’s not about messages.”
Hopefully, Disney is wising up.
