February is the shortest month of the year, but Walt Disney (DIS 1.34%) delivered a lot in four tight weeks. The media giant announced respectable financial results for its fiscal first quarter. It also introduced Josh D'Amaro as its incoming CEO.
Can it keep the momentum going in March? This is the month when D'Amaro will officially take the helm at Disney's annual shareholder meeting. There will also be new content coming to Disney+, the return of a popular festival in Florida, and a brand-new theme-park land for Disneyland Paris. Let's take a closer look at some of the days worth watching in the month ahead.
Image source: Disney.
March 4
Disney's Epcot in Florida has been redefined in recent years, adding several major rides, including Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and the thrilling Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster. However, the gated attraction's most lucrative attraction has been its steady diet of seasonal festivals that draw guests to spend even more on limited-time food, drinks, and premium seating for daily concerts.
The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival returns on March 4, for nearly three months of "flowers, flavor, and fun." The festivities are included with daily admissions, with the festival event running every day through June 1. Artists performing at the complimentary Garden Rocks concert series this year include Chubby Checker, Berlin, Air Supply, Queensryche, and The Spinners. If that seems like an eclectic collection of artists across genres and generations, that's the point.
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March 6
Pixar's latest animated feature film hits a multiplex near you next week. Expectations are modest for Hoppers, with forecasters pegging domestic ticket sales at $30 million to $50 million during its opening weekend. That would be higher than some of Pixar's more recent original releases.
It's easy to wonder if audiences are confused. Hopper is actually the name of the villain in Pixar's second theatrical release, A Bug's Life. The movies are not related.
I think the cast, which largely consists of animal characters, will help Disney boost global ticket sales. Disney's Zootopia 2 was its biggest release last year with a similar bent.
March 10
There isn't a cruise line growing faster than Disney right now. That's a good thing, particularly with cruise line stocks outpacing the performance of Disney stock. Just months after introducing a new cruise ship, Disney is back with the maiden voyage of the Disney Adventure on March 10.
It will be the largest ship in Disney's fleet in terms of passenger capacity. Disney Adventure will initially set sail out of Singapore, taking guests on three- or four-night journeys. As Disney's content is global, it's always a good thing to be closer to a potential international market opportunity.
March 18
Disney posted a modest revenue and earnings beat for its fiscal first quarter on the first trading day of February. It introduced Disney Experiences Chair D'Amaro as its new CEO a day later. Disney probably spaced out the big announcements to give each item its day in the sun.
Everything should all come together in a couple of weeks, when Disney hosts its annual shareholder meeting on March 18. Disney has had a few interesting annual investor powwows in recent years. There was a proxy battle two years ago. It narrowly avoided another proxy battle before that. It's had a prodigal CEO come back, and now it gets his replacement officially taking the post at the March meeting.
D'Amaro inherits a company that has overcome one obstacle -- turning its growing but money-losing streaming operations into a profit center. After several years of sluggish organic growth, he has to find a way to take bigger steps. It should be an eventful, if not quotable, day for Disney investors.
March 24
Content matters when you're a creator. Disney doesn't have a major theatrical release coming out in March, but it will have new media worth watching on Disney+. Two big pieces of content are hitting the platform on March 24.
Let's start with Daredevil: Born Again. Marvel continues to crank out well-received movies and shows for its parent company. Disney's biggest movie coming out this year will be Avengers: Doomsday, but that won't hit the silver screen until the holiday season. In a few weeks, Disney+ will premiere the second season of Daredevil: Born Again.
If superhero attorneys aren't your thing, how do you feel about Hannah Montana? It's been 20 years since the Miley Cyrus-led show first aired on the Disney Channel. On March 24, Disney's giving the series a special celebrating the show's 20th anniversary. Alex Cooper will be interviewing Cyrus before a live studio audience, complete with clips and archival footage that have never aired.
March 27
The next major expansion for Disney's attractions is scheduled for late March at its fully owned theme park in France. The newly rebranded Disney Adventure World will launch its World of Frozen land, recreating the town of Arendelle from Disney's hit animated franchise, Frozen.
It's going to be a busy month for Disney. Investors don't seem to mind.
