It's been a surprisingly resilient summer for Walt Disney (DIS 0.01%) investors. The stock has soared in back-to-back months, no small feat in a challenging climate of inflationary concerns and recessionary fears. The same stock that was down 39% year to date at the end of June has risen 19% through the past two months. Can it keep the good times going in September?
There will be no shortage of things to watch when it comes to the media giant. A big conference for Disney enthusiasts promises to make headlines, and a pair of highly anticipated releases should keep subscribers glued to Disney+ in September. Let's take a closer look at the things that can move the House of Mouse's stock this month.
Image source: Disney.
Sept. 8
Disney has found a moneymaker in taking some of its animated classics and rebooting them as live-action movies. It's now Pinocchio's turn to run. One of Disney's best-known feature animation films will hit Disney+ next week. It's not going to play at the local multiplex like many of the other live-action reboots that the studio giant has done in the past.
Pinocchio uses a combination of live actors with CGI effects for the signature toy that comes to life as a boy, as well as several of the characters he meets along the way. The film has A-list talent. Heads turned when Robert Zemeckis of Forrest Gump and Back to the Future fame signed up as director. Landing Tom Hanks to play Geppetto was another big win, but not necessarily a surprise since Zemeckis also directed Hanks in Forrest Gump and Cast Away.
Disney's decision to keep the film exclusively for Disney+ subscribers is interesting. A little incremental revenue at the movie theaters would've been nice, especially given the way that the weak late-summer slate of releases has been brutal for multiplex operators. However, with other studios mining Pinocchio for content -- it is in the public domain, after all -- maybe Disney figured it would be for the best to use the movie as a way to engage Disney+ subscribers.
Sept. 9
If you're a fan of everything from Disney's theme parks to its franchise properties, you're going to want to pay attention next weekend. Disney's D23 exposition will take over the Anaheim Convention Center Sept. 9-11 with a packed slate of presentations.
What's next for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? When will Disney World's Tron ride open? What is coming in the future for Star Wars films and Disney's flagship theme parks? We may not get all of the answers, but there are always some headline-worthy revelations made during the weekend event.
Sept. 30
Disney has a pair of highly anticipated movies coming out this month, and they are both going directly to feed the entertainment bellwether's thriving Disney+ business. Hocus Pocus 2 will hit the premium streaming service at the end of the month, 29 years after the original film's release.
Hocus Pocus had a decent multiplex run in 1993, but it has become a cult fave for Disney over the last three decades. Reuniting the original stars will be a big draw for Disney+, which already has more than 152 million paying subscribers worldwide. With the media stock getting ready to raise prices for the service in December, it's a good time to be putting out compelling proprietary content.
