Disney is on a roll; the roll-out of its films in 2015 so far have been a bonanza. Disney's films generated over $4 billion in box office receipts year-to-date, the company told its shareholders recetnly.
According to industry sources, this is the third consecutive year in which the Disney studio division has crossed that threshold, but the company managed to do it six weeks faster than in 2014, making 2015 a record-setting year, both in domestic and international markets.
The company has also released its updated movie schedule through 2019, and the prospects look extemely good, according to fool.com.
In 2015, Disney won viewers all over the world with some exciting launches: Inside Out made over $800 million globally, Cinderella logged over $540 million, and Avengers: Age of Ultron ran away with $1.4 billion, making it one of the highest grossing movies of all time, fool.com noted.
The year is not over yet, and Disney will be releasing Star Wars: The Force Awakens on 18 December and its expected to storm the theatres. Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate that The Force Awakens could bring in $650 million in the U.S. and $1.3 billion internationally for a total of $1.95 billion. It also forecasts total box office receipts coming in $2.25 billion under more optimistic assumptions.
Disney's has some exciting stuff ready for next year. Captain America: Civil War is scheduled for May 2016. The Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory, will release in June 2016. Disney has also scheduled a Star Wars spinoff, Rogue One, for December 2016.
March 2017, a live-action adaptation ofThe Beauty and The Beast in which Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will play the main characters. And a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel is coming in May 2017 along with a new Star Wars movie. Cars 3 will appear in June 2017, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is scheduled for July 2017. Toy Story 4 will be released in June 2018, and Incredibles 2 in June 2019.
fool.com says that based on data for the first nine months of fiscal 2015, the studio division brings in nearly 15% of Disney's global revenue. Operating income in the consumer products division jumped by an impressive 37% last quarter, mostly fueled by growth from the strong performance of merchandise based on Frozen, The Avengers, and Star Wars. Investors can feel encouraged by Disney's performance and its studio division looks stronger than ever boding well for both the business and its investors.
